THE

NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY.

VOL. I.-MATTHEW

AXD MARK.

BY J. W. MCGARVEY.

Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 1875,by

CHASE

In the Office of the Librarian

& HALL,

of Congress, at Washington.

PUBLISHERS' PREFACE.

}or i& believed that suoh a work 88 THB NBWTxsTA.lfOT ComrENT4BT"

is designed to be is greatly needed. 'I'his age has been eharaeterised by
unusual activity in the department of Biblical Criticism.
There never
WIUI a time
when the Bible WIUI more severely attacked.
But it is
equally true, there never was a time when the friends of the Bible felt
more secure in their plea for its genuineness and divine authenticity.
Opposition has only stimulated earnest inquiry, and this has brought
to light a vast amount of heretofore unknown evidence, lUI well lUI doveloped an exegesis which promises the best results to all ecrnest
students of the sacred volume.
We think it may be fairly claimed that the Bible, as a divine revelstion, has been fully vindicated.
It only remains to apprehend the truth
which the Bible teaches, and then we may hope for the complete realisation of the blessed influence which it is designed to exert in the salvation and civilization of our race. To secure this result, it is very desirable that tho present means for enlightened criticism should be used
in giving the world a commentary that will at once be popular, and employ
all the best learning that ill now so abundantly accessible in this department of study. It W88 the belief that such a work as would meet this
demand of the age could now be produced, that suggested the publication of

THE NEW TE8TAMENT COMMENTARY.

Within the last few years several able commentaries have been published on the Old Testament, and it is believed little more can be done
for this portion of the Bible. But as the New Testament contains what
we are more particularly interested in, it is all the more important that
the best results of biblical criticism should be applied in eluoidating ita
teaching.
And yet we are inclined to believe that thi8 is just the pa.d
(III)

iv

PUBLISHERS' PREFACE.

or the Bible that has failed to receive that enlightened treatment

which is necessary to give it its true meaning. Taking this view
of the matter, it waa thought that a commentary on the New Testament,
projected on a liberal basis and wrought out by skillful and able men,
possessed of the clearest and ripest views of the Christian Dispensation,
would commend itself to the publio in a way that would at once secure
a large patronage. Hence, after much correspondence and conference
on the subject, the publishers of the present work called a meeting of
such persons as had been agreed upon to take part in the proposed cemmentary, to consider the whole matter and make such arrangements as
were deemed necessary to push the work to completion. At this meetinll: it was unanimously agreed that the work should proceed at once
upon the general character and plan indicated as followa:
1. When completed,
assigned as follows:

to eonaist of

1. Matthew and Mark,

2. Luke,
3. John,
4. Acts.
5. Romans,
6. First and Second Corinthians.
7. Galatians, Ep?esians. Philippians, }
and Colossians,
.
.
8. First and Second Thessalonians,}
TImothy, Titus, and Philemon,
9. Hebrews,
10. James, Peter. John. and Jude,
11. Revelations,

eleven volumes, divided and

J. W. MoGUVB'Y
J.B. L.uuJL
C. L. Loos.
W. T. MOORB.
W. K. Plt.,>qDLBTON.
Ia.u..oERRETT.
R. RICBARDlIQlf.
To be assigned.
R. MILLIGAN.
To be assigned.
To be assigned.

2. The text used to be same as Bagster'. Critical English New Te .

&ament. To be arranged into paragraphs.
Chaptera and verse-marks
retained, but subordinated to this arrangement.
3. The text to be printed at the top of the page. The different readings and purely critical notes to be printed in small type immediately
under the text.
4. Following the text to be, first, a brief Ilnalysis of each section
when necessary; second, Exegetical and Critical notes, as concisely
made as can be done to present clearly the meaning, provided that sueh
notes as are not suitable for the body of the work shall be arranged at the
Ind of the volume; third, brief Practical Refleotions; fourth, each book
to contain an Introduotion, giving history, oanonioity. general purpoM

PUBLISHERS' PREFACE.
eto, The whole work to be made sa popular l1.li possible, at same time
scholarly and critical enough for preachers and Bible students.
5. Parallel references to be placed in the margin of the text; and
such maps, illustrations, chronological index, tables, etc., to be provided.
as are necessary for ample illustration.
6. The size of volume to be crown octavo. The text in long primer
and notes in bourgeois. Each volume to contain about 400 pages.
Since the meeting referred to above, considerable progress has been
made in the various divisione of the work--several of the volumes being already completed, or nearly 80. It is the purpose of all concerned
to push the work forward as rapidly as possible.
We do not propose to discuss here the merits of the present volume,
and yet we feel that it would not be out of place to call the attention of
the public to the following important special features:
a. It distributes the subject matter of the narratives into the Parts,
Sections, and Paragraphs which are the natural divisions made by the
inspired authors, instead of observing the unnatural division into chapters and verses which has been introduced into our printed Bibles.
This arrangement makes the plan of the inspired writers more intelligible, and greatly facilitates both the oomprehension and the remembrance of what they have written.
b. It treats these narratives as historical proofs of the Messiahship and
Sonship of -lesus, and the logical bearing on this question of all the
facts recorded, is carefully pointed out in the form of an "Argument"
at the end of every section. This feature of the work, which is entirely
new, is calculated to greatly exalt the reader's appreciation of the testimony for -Iesus, and it should not filii to increase his faith.
c. it discusses elaborately, and by a method in many respects new,
the interesting subject of the genealogy of our Haviour, as given by
Matthew.
d. A note on the genuinenese of the last twelve verses of the gospel
of Mark, is appended at the close of the volume, which we think will be
accept-d 11.8 a complete refutation of the argument advanced by some
eminent critics and commentators of the present age in favor of rejecting these verses from the inspired canon. We believe that this note
alone will be regarded by appreciative readers l1.li worth the entire price
af the volume.

INTRODUCTION.
fl.

Tla AtmlOBllJlIJ'.

the authorahip of a book haa never been dlspnted, Ita friend.

have ullually but little to eay on the subject, Such ill the C&118 with the
narrative of Matthew. The article in Smith's Bible Dictionary on lhe
gospel of Matthew diepoees of the entire question in these few WOrdl:
The gospel which beara the name of St. Matthew waa written by the
apostle, according to the testimony of all antiquity." Dean Alford, in the
Prolegomena to his Greek Testament, disposes of it almost aa briefly.
He 86YS, The author oi this gospel haa been universally believed to be
the APoeTLI!:
MATrHEw. With this belief the eontenta of the gospel are
not inconsistent; and we find it current in the earliest ages." By the
earliest ages the learned writer means the earliest ages of uninspired Christian literature: for the book of Matthew is not mentioned in the later boob
of the New Testament, although the latter reach down in date of composition to the close of the first century. The first in the IiBt o( early
writera who ascribe thls gORpelto Matthew is Papiu, who wrote in the
beginning of the second century, about Beventy or eighty years after
the death of Jesus; he is (oilowed by Ireneeua of the same century, then
by Eusebius, Origen, Epiphanius, Jerome, and others, reaching down to
the fourth century.
Such testimony u this, to a mind accustomed to reflection 01Jj question.
of the kind, is conclusive. But for the benefit of such readers as are unfamiliar with inquiries of this nature, and who frequently hear the question, how do you know that the boob of the New Testament were wri$ten by the men whose names they bear, we think it proper to add a few
obeervations on the force of this testimony.
The history of literature show8that it ill almost lmposslble to conceal the
authorship of a work which makes any impression on the public mind,
even when there is a studied effort to do so. In the absence of such an
effort it is unheard of; when, therefore, the narrative now called Matthew'.
WAl! first put into circulation, we may lU!l!ume
that ita authorship was known
to its readers, and thllt u ita circulation extended this knowledge extended
with it. Thia ill true of ordinary books, and must especially have
been true of this, which depends (or ita value in part on the author'.
mellDBof knowing the facta of ",hich he testifies, and in part on hie hon.ty in reporting them.
Again, when the authorship of a boolc u once generally known, it i.
~b
if not qnlte impoaeible that it ahould afterward be accredited to aD
WHO

(7

INTRODUCTION.
other.
This would require complicity in a fraud by too many different
and disinterested
witnesses.
In the present instance it would have required the complicity
of the foes as well as the friends of Christ; for,
when the book first came into circulation,
both parties within the range
of its circulation must have known its authorship.
Moreover, if it had
been in the power of the early disciples to falsely represent the authorship with success, it is inconceivable
that they should have fixed it on
Matthew, one of the most obscure of all the apostles.
Their object in the
fraud would have been to give the hook a fictitious credit, which could
have been done only by ascribing it to some apostle of greater note than
Matthew.
In view of these considerations
the reader will readily perceive that the
name of the real author could not have been lost and a fictitions name
substituted
so early as the days of Papias, who, if we adopt the earliest
supposed date of Matthew, A. D. 42, lived and wrote only some sixty or seventy years after the composition of the book, There were men then living who could remember the first appearance of the book, and thousand.
of both friends and foes to whom all the facts of the authorship were familiar.
The earliest mention of the authorship, then, which the fragmentary remain. of ancient Christian literature
have preserved to us, reaches
within the period when living witnesses were still abundant j and from
that time an unbroken chain of testimony has come down to UB. There
ia no book of antiquity, in either sacred or pre fane literature, whoBe an
thorship i. more unqueetionable.

2. TmI: ~GUAGB,

There has been mnch difference of opinion among scholars as to whether

Matthew originally wrote hi. narrative in Greek, or in the Hebrew dialect
of his age. The most satisfactory statement of the evidence pro and COOl
accessible to the general reader may be found in Smith's Bible Dictionary,
Art. M AITHEW, G08PItL OF. The essential facts in the case are the following:
All of the ancient writers, whose extant writings allude to the question, represent Matthew as having written a narrative in Hebrew; but not
one of them claims to have seen it except Jerome, and he subaequently express"" doubt &II &0 whether the book which he saw under this name WAI
the genuine Matthew.
If a genuine Hebrew narrative at any time existed,
it perished with the age which gave it birth.
All of the writers jUllt
Darned were familiar with the Greek Matthew;
and none of them speak
of it as a translation.
A large majority of the modern writers regard the
Greek as the original, and it is a singular confirmation of the correctnees
of this opinion that Alford, who, in the first edition of his commentary,
took ground in favor of a Hebrew original, in the later editions acknowledges that he has been constrained
to abandon that position.
(See Prol .
~ena
to third edition.)

INTRODUCTION.
~ 3.

THE

DATE.

The euc~ date of the r-ompoait ion of Matthew's narrative is not known.
Our judgment as to the probable date must be formed chiefly by considermg the following facts:
Firllt, the early writers uniformly represent it lIB
the first of the New Testament books.
But the date of Luke is very definitely fixed 11.8 not later than Paul's Ceesnrean in.pr isonment, which continued from the summer of A. D. 58 to the fall of A. D. 60; consequently,
Matthew must have written previous to the former date, or within less
than twenty-four years after the death of Jesus.
Second, Eusebius, in hiB
Ecclesiastical History, book iii. chap. 24, says that Matthew wrote when
he was about to leave his own country for other nations.
This is indefinite as to date, and is intended by the author not to fix the time, but to
state the occasion of the cum position ; for he adds, that Matthew"
thus
supplied the want of his presence to them hy his writing s," Third,
Irenseus declares that Mau hew wrote" while Peter and Paul were preaching the gospel in Rome, and founding the church."
(Haer. iii. 1.) But
Peter and Paul never did preach together in Home; and it is certain that
<,hey did not jointly found the church there, for Paul had not yet been in
Rome when he wrote his epistle to the church already established
there.
(Rum. i. 8, 13; IV. 24-32.) Fourth, Nicephcrus, a writer ofthefourtunth century, is cited as asserting that this gospel was published fifteen years after
the ascension of Jesus; while Euthymius,
a writer of the twelfth century,
and Theophylact,
of the eleventh century, place the publication eight years
after the ascension.
(See Alford's Prolegomena and Smith's Dictionary.)
But the last three writers lived at too late a period to be of any authority
Oil the subject.
Fifth, the text of Matthew contains two remarks which
show that it was composed at least a number of years after the death of
J esus, viz., the remark that the potter's field, purchased
by the blood
money of Judas, " wa.~called the field of blood unto this day," and the remark concern ing the false report of the soldiers who guarded
the
IK'pulchre, that" this saying i~ commonly reported among the Jews unto
thu day." (Matt. z xvii. 8; xxviii. 15.) It is thought by Alford, and by the
writer in Rmitlt's Dictionary, that these remarks are inconaistent with the
supposltlon that only so short a period ail eight years had intervened.
But the inconeistency is not apparent;
for the name of the field might
have had a very brief existence, and it W88 well worthy of remark that this
name, and that the report of the soldiers AO soon and so thoroughly exploded, should have continued to be repeated after a lapse of even eight
YearB.
I think that only the 6r~t and laHt of these facts should have any weight
In deciding this question.
The last renders it highly proLable that the
date W1.8 1I0t earlier than that mentioned by Euthymius and Theophy lact,
.i,ht years after the ascension, or A. D. 42 j while the first proves conclu-

10

INTRODUCTION.

lively that it was not later than A. D. li8, or twenty-four yean after the
aACension. In some of the sixteen intervening years the narrative lint
made its appearance.
In this brief statement of the case I have purposely omitted manyarguments of former writers which I regard &II irrelevant or inconclusive.

f 4. Tm!: CA.NONICITY.
I( Matthew is the author of this narrative, as we have proved in f 1,
above, its canonicity is necessarily implied in this fact. But in addition
to the evidence arising from this source, we may cite the following: Fint,
passages are quoted from Matthew lUI from an authoritative work by tbe
awthor of the epistle ascribed to Barnabas, by Clement of Rome, by
Hermas, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Hegesippus, Irenseus, Tatian,
Athenagoras, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Origen.
(See Smith's Dictionary and citations in Milfigan'a Reason and Revelation.)
This list of writers extends in point of time from the close of the first century to within the third century; and some of them lived within the time
when living men, both inspired and uninspired, could testify as to the exact origin of all the books of the New Testament. Sec~, Ireneeus, of
the second century, recognized our present four gospels; Tatian, who died
A. D. 170, recognized them and composed a harmony of them; TheophiIUA, 168, wrote a commentary on them; and Clement of Alexanelria, 189,
distinguished tbem from an uncanonical gospel according to the Egyptians. (See Smith's Dictionary.) These authorities make it unquestionable
that tbe book o( Matthew was nniversally received as an inspired docnment at a date too early for men to be mistaken in reference to its origin.

f Ii.

PI:XP08B AND CuARAal'ER.

The purpose of a writer is to be aacertained from his own avowal, or by

considering what he has written. Matthew's narrative contains no formal
avowal of his purpose, but it. matter shows clearly that hia chief object
was the one avowed by John, "that you might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through hiA
name." (John xx. 31.) Subordinate to this was the manifest purpose of
recording, for the practical guidance of Christians, many precepts, promises and predictions selected from the oral teaching of Jesu8. The truth
of these two observations will be made to appear continually in the COUrM
of the following-work.
In pursuit of his main purpose, Matthew presents an Rrray of prophecies
fulfilled in the person of Jesus, of miracles wrought by him and with ref
erence to him, of characteristics posseseed by him, and of predictions
uttered by him, which constitute an overwhelming proof of his Me88iahshir
anel hi. divinity. It will be an important partlnf our task in the follow

INTRODUCTION.

11

ing pages to call particular attention to this proof; and the reader will be
able to see the entire body of it in a narrow compass if he will read COD
necteilly the" arguments"
appended to the several sections into which the
notes are distributed.
In pursuit of his secondary object, our author has enriched hi. narrative
with such a selection of gems from the treasury of the Great Teacher, l1li
must ever make his book the most attractive
and the most frequently
read of all the books in the New Testament.
To those who are in pursuit
of the fundamental
maxims of a pure morality and a consistent piety, it
indispensable.

u.

While Matthew maintains throughout

hiA narrative
a purely Cbristlaa
spirit, he looks at every thing with Jewish eyes, and keeps his own
conntrymen in view as his readers.
He is not unmindful of the fact that
many of his JewiRh kinsmen spoke only the Greek language, and consequently he sometimes tranalatea into Greek Hebrew words which he has
occasion to employ.
(See i. 23; xxvii, 33, 46.) But, unlike the other hi .
toria ns, he omits those explanations
of Jewish customs and of local reference . which Gentile readers would naturally expect (Comp, Mark vii. 3, 4;
r iii, 3) ; yet he devotes more attention than do all of the others to the fu lfillments of prophecy;
and he is alone in giving that line of ancestry by
which Jesus was heir of the throne of David.

f 6.
A proper presentation

PLAN OF TIlLS CoMMENTARY.

of any subject according to the methods of modern thought, requires a formal designation of its natural divieions.
Such
designation was not made by the writers of antiquity, but is an invention
of modern times.
The division of the Bible into chapters and versee
W&8 intended
merely to facilitate
references, and is in many instances
quite arbitrary.
These divisions have become indiepensable,
but they
should be 80 printed as to make them only a convenience;
and the natural
divisions of each book should be restored.
In order to this end, tbe text
of Mauhew and Mark has been distributed
in this Commentary into para
graphs, and in the comments the subject-matter
of each paragraph
is
printed in capital letters at the head of the notes thereon.
The larger divisions called sections, each including
a group of closely-related
para.
graphs, are alRo indicated in the notes by proper headings i and under the
heading of each is a brief analysis of the section by paragraphs.
This
latter arrangement
will enable tbe reader to see at a glance Matthew's
treatment of each section before he reads it, and to trace more easily the
thread of thougbt which pervades it. In addition to these smaller die
vi~ions there is a more general division of the matter of nearly every
book of the Bible into what we call, for want of a better name, its Parts.
Matthew'H n,urati ve consists of three parts, Part First extending from the

12

INTRODUCTION.

---------------------------------------beginning to the eleventh verse of the fourth chapter, and treating of

the birth, the childhood, the baptism, and the temptation of J'8U8; Pari
Second extending from iv. 12 to xviii. 35, a.HI including
his ministry in
Galilee; Part Third extending
from xix. 1 to the end of the hook, and
including events which transpired
in Perea and Judea.
It is necessary
to observe these divisions
in order to an intelligible
appreciation
of
Matthew's plan; and, therefore, they are indicated in the folluwing notes.
I have written on Matthew very much as if it Blood alone, paying but
little attention to the differences between it and the other gospels t but in
the notes on Mark I have taken pains to notice all the differences between him and Matthew which I have thought worthy of remark, and
some of those between him and the other evangelists.
In the main, however, I have left it to Messre. J. S. Lamar and C. L. Lo('8, who are to
write the volumes on Luke and John for this series of commentaries,
to
notice the differences between those narratives
and the two included
in
this volume.
In order to facilitate a comparison
of the four gospels in reference to
matters mentioned by two or more of them, I have indicated
by suitable
references appended to the headings of paragraphs,
the parallel pas~age8.
All other references which I have thought necessary to the elucidation
of
the text, I have given in the body of the notes.
The Commentary is intended primarily
for the people, and only secondarily for scholars.
I have, therefore, avoided, so far lUI I could consistently with the demands of exegeRis, the use of Greek words and of
elaborate criticisms
on the original.
I have a180 taken pains to make
prominent such point in the narrative, and such lessons in the speeches
and conversations
of Jesus, as promised to make a deep impression on the
religious eentiments and daily life of the reader.
"'hile the matter of the work is arranged with a view to its being used
as a work of reference, I have also striven to adapt it to consecutive reading. To those who may attempt
to read it eonsecutively,
and such
readers I especially covet, I "uggest the propriety of uniformly
reading
the text of each paragraph he fore reading the notes which belong to it.
It would argue unwonted egotism to "end forth among the many works
which have taxed the powers of great ruinds, a commentary
on &ny portion of the Scriptures, without some degree of misgiving about it. reception by the public; and especia lly iR this true of a commentary
on 110
familiar a portion of Scripture as that assigned to the present author.
J
would hesitate to do 80, but for the fact that a respectable portion of tbe
public are known to desire a commentary
from HCholarR of the rel igious
body with which I am connected; and J hope in ROHlemeasure to gratify
thrs desire, Having been engaged for eight years in giving instruction to
thoughtful
and inquisitive young men in th e entire rango! of sacred hla-

~TRODUcrION.

18

tory, and by a method which required me to commit to memory the text,

and to study carefully all the works on the subject within my reach, I
datter myself that I have acquired
a respectable
familiarity
with the
subject, and some degree of skill in exhibiting
it to the inquiring
mind.
The borrowed materials which I have employed have been drawn from so
great a variety of sourcee+many
of them now forgotten-that
I think
proper to give no list of the authors whom I have consulted.
All especial
credits which are thought necessary are given in the body of the notes.
The reader will also observe that I have occupied but little space in stating the opinions of other writers, for the purpoHe either of combating
their views or of confirming my own. I have preferred to let the views
which I advance depend for acceptance on their own intrinsic merits, and
on the reasons which are given to support them; this, indeed, is the only
support which can justly entitle them to respect.
Praying that Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God, the exhibition of whom to the world is the glory of Matthew's narrative, whose
footsteps from the manger to the crOBBhave been fondly traced in these
pages, may be ever enthroned in the hearts of my readers, I trustfully
commit this labor of my hands to the destiny which he has provided (or
it.
THE AUTHOR.
LEXINGTON,

Ky., 1875.

MATTHEW.
PART FIRST.
FRI > THE BIRTH

OF JESUS TO THE

BEGINNING

OF HIS

MINISTRY.

1. 1-IV. 11.

CHAPTERS

I. I The book of the generation ham begat I'saac ; and I'saac beof Jesus Christ.f.he sonof Da'vid, gat Ja'cob; and Ja'cob begat
the son of A'braham. A'bra- Ju'das and his brethren; and
SECTION I.
GBNILUOGY
op JB8UB,I. 1-17.
Title of th e LIst, 1: !<'Irst DlvlHlon,~;
I:!econdDivision, ~ll; Thlnl Dtv lslon, 12-16; The Divisions Stated, 17.

Iish, It is not called the book. 118

if there we~e n? other, b?t a book.
A,:ot~er, dill'ermg. materm.'ly from
I this, Is preserved m the third chapter of Luke.
the generation. - The Greek
term rendered generation ('Y'VEC1")
Title of the
1.
has here the unusual sense of gene
1. fie book.- The expression alogy. It deaignntes the line of
ancestry through which the fleshwith which this narrative opensThe book of the generation of Je- ly nature of Jesus was generated .
BU@
Christ" -is not the title of the (Comp. Rom. i. 3, in the original.)
entire narrative. for 1\.8 such it would
he inadequate; but it is the title of
First Division, 2-6. (Luke iii.
the genealogillal list which follows.
31-34.)
(See a similar use of the word book,
2, Abraham begat.-In
pUI'Gen. v. 1.) The title shows both the suance of the object indicated in
nature of the list and its object. It the title, Matthew proceeds first to
is the genealo!!J of J!'SU8, and its reproduce from the Old Testament
object is to show that He is "son of records the line of descent from
David, son of Abraham." God had Abraham to David. This he may
promised to each of these patriarchs have taken either from the list
that the Christ should be of his ofT- given in 1 Chron. i. 34-ii. 15, or
.prinl!:, and Matthew shows by this from the original history of the
list that Jesus is the offspring of persons found in Genesis and Ruth.
both. The term book is without the (See Gen. xxi. 1-3; xxv. 21-26;
article in the original, and should I xxix. 35; xxxviii. 29 i Ruth iv. 18h"ve the indefinite article in Eng- 21.)
(16)

u.

l6

MATTHEW.

J u' d.is begat Pha'res and Za'ra of

Tha'mar; and Pha'res begat Es'rom; and Es'rom begat A'ram;
and A'ram bezat Amin' adab;
and Amin'adab ~gat Naas'son;
and Naas'son begat Sal'mon;
I and Sal'mon begat Bo'oz of
Ra' chab; and Bo'oz begat O'bed

[i.3-Q.

Iof Ruth j and O'bed begat J es'se.

8 And
J es'se begat Da'vid the
king; and Da'vid [the king] begat Sol'omon of her that had
been the wife of Uri'as ; I and
Sol'omon begat Robo'am; and
6.
/la,";",v. Roe Omitted by Lach.,
Tisch. T ;; Green. Alford. Tregelles

3. of Thamar.-Contrary
to the
5, 6. Salmon
. . . David.usual custom of omitting names of Commentators have long noted the
females from gene,tloglCal tables, singular circumstance that David
Matthew here mentions Tamar 1\8 is named as the fourth in descent
the mother of Pharez, and In verse from Salmon the husband of Ra5, Ruth, as the mother of Ohed He bah, although the time hetween the
also statl',\ the fact, nowhere else mention of Rahab and the birth of
mentioned In the SCrIFtnree that David is 366 y{>ars The time i!
Salmon begat Roo/ 0 Rtehabascertamed by the following cal
thltt IS, lUIunderstood bv the com- culatum From the departure oul
mentators in general, of'Rahah the of Egypt to the founding of Soloharlot
(Comp Josh ii 1-21, v I, mon's temple was 480 years
(J
22--25) These three females to- Ks vi 1)
Counting back from
gether with Bathsheba (verse 6), this event to the hirth of David,
are mentioned because of remark- we have four ye.rrs of Solomon's
able peculiarr.Ies in their history reign (ibid), the for~ } ears of
The Gentile origin of Tamar, Ra- David'a reign (1 Ks ii II) and
hab, and Ruth; the BlU~ular incest the thirty years of David's life beof the first (Gen xxxvui 12-26), fore he came to the throne (2 Sam
the depraved life hut subsequent v 4)-makmg an tl!!!!:regateof BeVremarkable farth of the second enty-four year~ to be deducted from
(Josh ii 8-11, Heb XI 31), and the 4)'0, and lea~lDg 406 Trom
the virtues of the thtrd 80 remark- th;s numher we agam subtract the
able for one of heathen education, forty vears between the exode and
combined to render them objects Rahab's appearance in the history.
of especial interest to the .lews which leaves 366 years for the time
when remembered as maternal an- hetween this event and the birth
eestors of David and his royal off- David
Now if we supp-0se that
.pring
It was equally worthy of Salmon took Rahab to WIfe during
note that Bathsheba, the guilty and the same year in which she WII8
unfortunate wife of Uriah (2 Sam delivered from the destructron of
xi. and xii ), became, in the mysteri- Jericho and that Boaz was born
oua workings of God's providence, the following year, we have 365
the mother of the heirs of David's yeara to divide between three genthrone
That all of these women erations
This would require, on
were among the maternal ancestors the supposition of a division ahout
of Jesus was equally worthy of no- equal, that Boaz should have been
tice, and is in keeping with his 122 yeal'8 old at the birth of Obed,
rmesion as the Savior of both Jews I Obed 122 at the birth of Jesse, and
and Gentiles, and of the most sinful Jesse )21 at the birth of David.
in both C1118868 who can be brought 'I'hese figurf's are altogether imto repentance.
probable un)""s we suppoee a

or

i. 7, 8.]

MATTHEW.

I',

Robo'am begatAbi'a; and Abi'a aphat; and Jos'apbat begat Jo'

begat A'sa; 'and A'sa begat .Ios'. ram; and Jo'ram begat OZi'88.
providence even more remarkable
Second Dioision, 6--11. (Luke iii.
than that connected with the birth
27-31.)
of Isaac when his father was 100
years old-a supposition no~ to b!l
The names in this division of the
adopted in the absence of indubi- list are derived from the history oC
table proof. Some writers, to avoid the persons us giv(:'n in the two
the difficulty involved in these fig- books of KingR and Second Chronures, have suggeeted that the Ra- icles, or from the list in I Chron.
hab here mentioned may have been iii. 10-19. We know not that the
some other than the harlot of Jeri Jews had any other records which
cho; but this affects not the case could have furnished the informamaterially, for Salmon, being son tion; and if they had, the Scriptof Nahshon, captain of the tribe of ures would still be naturally preJudah at the beginning of the forty ferred by Matthew as being more
vears of wandering (X urn i. 7), accessible and more authoritative.
must have been cotemporarv with
8. Joram begat Ozias.-BeRahab of Jericho; find if the Ra- tween Joram and Ozias, called in
hnb of our text is a different wo- the Old Testament Uzziah and Azman, still the birth of her son Boaz ariah, .Matthew omits three names
must have occurred not much later which are in the text from which
than the time above mentioned. he copied. These fire: Ahaziah, son
We think there is no reason to and succesaor of -Ioram (2 Chron.
doubt the opinion of the best re- xxii. I); Joash, son and successor
cent commentators, that some names of Ahaz iuh (xxii. II; xxiv. 1); and
are omitted in this place, the more Amaz iah. son and successor of Jonoted ones alone being retained. ash (xxiv. 27). Thus Uzziah, here
This opinion becomes a necessity mid to have been begotten by Joif, as is not unlikely, it be found ram, WM actual son of Amaziah,
that the true chronolo~ of this pe- and was in the fourth generation
rind is that given by Paul in Acts of descent from Joram.
xiii. 18-20. He makes it 450 veal's
This omission gives rise to three
from the entrance into Canaan to important inqu iries : Pint Does it
the reizn of Saul, and Saul's reign vitiate the list? Second. How can
commenced rten years before the it be true that Joram z,egat U lzibirth of David.
(Acts xiii. 21. ah? Third. "Th,' was the omission
Compare 2 Sam. v. 4.) This gives made? We will discuss these ques460 years, instead of 366, between tions in their order.
Rah~lJ and David, all of which
First. If it h/ld been Matthew',
must be divided 8.!' above-making
object to p:ive a full list of the anBn1L7,Obed, and Jesse each l53i cestl)' of Jesus. or if his object had
vears old at the birth of his son, required
a full list, the omission
unle~s we Huppose some of the gpn- would certainly impair the value of
erations to have been omitted.
If the list given, and would tend to
such omissions have occurred, they shake our confidence in his accuwe re made hv the author
of the racy. But neither of these suppoeibook of Ruth
The bearing oC' tions is true. Matthew's object WR,l
omissions
on the correctness of logical rather than historical.
De~enesJogie8 is considered
below i Riring to prove Jf>8U8to be a son of
under verses 8 and 11.
IDavid, he UIIOli thr- hi"t1>!"Vof Dnvid's

I
I

18
_______________________
And Ozi'as begatJo'atham;

MATTHEW.
and I1 Jo'atham begat A'chaz; and A'
_

poeterity exolUlively with reference M08es names the sons, grandsona,

to this purpolle. Now, in order to. and great-grandsons of Leah, and
prove a man a descendant of a cer-] then says: "These be the sons of
tain other, it is not always neces- Leah which she bore to Jacob in
lary to name all of the intervening Padan-Aram."
(Gen. xlvi. 8-15.)
persona in the line. If I could show, Here the term sons is used to inFor example, by authentic records, elude persona of the second and
that my grandfather was a grandson third generations of descendants,
of Christopher Columbus, I would and Leah is said to have borne perthereby prove my own lineal descent sons who were actually borne by
from the great discoverer, even her daughters-in-law and the wivee
thou~h I should not be able to of her grandsons. These terms are
furnish the other two names in the used again in the same sense COillist. Or if the entire line of descent cerning the offspring of Zilpah, of
were published in the history of Rachel, and of Bilhah (IS, 22,25).
my country, I would be at liberty, Again, in the twenty-sixth verse of
in stating my proof, to mention my the same chapter, it is said of the
connection with anyone or more of same offspring, "All the eouls that
the names, leavint1 my reader to came with Jacob into Egypt, which
test my accuracy, If he chose to do come out of his loins, all the soula
10, by means of the published reo- were three-score and six." Here
ords, This is }latthew's case. In all are said to have come out of
proving that Jesus descended from Jacob's loins, another mode of say
David, it is immaterial how many ing that he beqat them. although
names he omits, provided those grandsons and great grandsons are
which he gives are correct: for the included, These are the most striklist from which he copied is three ing examples of the kind which I
times repeated in the Jewish Scrip- have been able to find in the Scriptures, and the means of testing his tures, but there .are many other!
accuracy were in the possession of which show that all the terms exevery syna~ogue throu~hout the pressive of kindred were used by
world. Any Jew who desired to see the Hebrews in a wider sense than
whether the names in this division by us. For example, Laban calls
of the liRt actually belonged to it, Jacob his brother, whereas we
had only to open his own Bible, would call him his nephew (Gen.
whether written in Hebrew or in xxix. 15); Jacob calls Abraham his
Greek. and read for himself.
father, whereas we would call him
Second. As to the statement that his grandfather (xxxii, 9); MephibJoram begat Uzziah, if we judge osheth. the grandson of Saul, il
according to our own use of the called his 80n (2 Sam. xix. 24; compo
term beqat, we must pronounce it ix, 6); and Athaliah, daughter of
untrue. But the language of every Ahah. and granddaughter of Omri,
nation and of e"ery period must be is called the daughter of Omri (2
understood in the light of its own Ch. xxi, 6; oomp. xxii. 2). Such il'Xpeculiar usages. Now, it so hap- amples abound in the Old Testapens that genealo~ical terms were ment. and are familiar to every careused by the Jews In a much wider ful student of the Scriptures. They
sense than by ourselves. For ex- originated from the sparsity of
ample. in describing Jacob's family words in the Hebrew language, re~ the time of goin" into Egypt, quiring that one word should le1"l"8
II

1.

l\1ATTHEW.

LO.]

ehaz begat Ezeki'as ;

10

19

and Eze- i ki'as begat Mauas'ses ; and Ma-

-------------------1-------------------

a variety of purposes.
The Ian- I well, to say the least, by retaining
gul1j(e had no such compound terms' the names as by omitting them; and
III! I!;randson, granddaughter,
etc.i : even if he had had this, or any
but used the simple terms son and other evil motive, the omission WOB
daughter, leaving the reader to. too easily detected to be ventured
pther from the context the exact upon for an improper purpose.
It
relationship.
In like manner, 118 we . is also a fact that he had u precehave seen above. a woman was said dent for such omissions in his own
to bear all who descended from her, , Bible: for Ezra, in givin~ his own
and a man to beget all who de-: genealo/!y 118 proof of hIS descent
sccuded from him. It is a singular: from Aaron, omits six names in a
circumstance, that although we have: single group. (Ez. vii. 1-3; compo I
discarded this extended use of the; eh. vi. 6-11.) The candid reader
word beget, we have never found a I will now acquit Matthew of the
sin rle word to substitute for it, but I slightest suspicion of having omitted
have to employ a periphrasis, and these names in order to gain any
sIlya certain one was the progenitor improper advantage, or because he
or the ancestor of another. Matthew WII8 not aware of their existence.
Ipeaks strictly in accordance with Why, then, did he omit them?
the usnze of his own nation, then,
TI,e only answer we can give to
when he says, "Joram be~at Uzaiah:" this question is one which must apand the statement is str ictly true in pear somewhat inadequate to the
the sense which he attaches to the modern mind, because we have been
term hegat.
80 differently educated. or rather beThird.
Having thus far consid- cause we have not been at all eduered those objections to the omission cated on the subject of genealogies.
which arise from a peculiar use of It is this: Seeing there were just
\erms, and from a failure to notice fourteen names in the preceding dithe author's exact purpose in giving vision, that from Abraham to David,
she ~enealogy. we proceed next to he desired, for the sake of aiding
inquire 118 to his object in makinz the memor ....to have the same numme omission. It certainly must have bel' in this division.
By leaving out
'>een made intentionally;
for it is the three which we have he en conscarcely possible. leaving his inspir- sidering. and one yet to be menstion out of view, that Matthew could tioned (verse II). he secured the rehave accidentallv
omitted three quisite number.
The importance of
names in one group; and if he had adopting all innocent devices to aid
done so, it is equally unlikely that the memory is realized when we
the mistake would have remained remember that the onlv means of
uncorrected.
Both fl'il'nd and foe, learning the Scripture; which the
10 far as the Jewish R('ril'tur('~ were
masses enjoyed in that age was
known. would have detected the hearing them rend in public. ~foreerror, and have demanded a correo- over, the disciples hnd constant use
tion.
It is equally certain that in their disputations with the Jews.
Matthew was not prompted to the for the genealoKV of Jesus, nnd thi.
omission by a dr-aire to deceive. or furnished a "p('('ial call f.)r SOIll~ aid
1.y any other evil motive.
He had to the memory in this case. If it be
no motive for deception. seeinl-! that objected to this. that su ch a PUrr"SP
his object as reu:ardR the claim" of could not justify a mode of writing
Chridt could have been secured as which would puzzle Bible rt'"u,,'''

20

MATTHEW.

[i. 11.

nas'ses begat A'mon; and A'mon I gat J echo-ni'as and his brethren,
hegat Josi'as; 11 and Josi'as be- about the time they were carried
of subsequent R)!:es,we reply that hemiah, the latest historioal writer
none are puzzled who approach the of that Testament. True, there are
subject aright, and that God has seen a. few items of history in Nehefit to so construct the Bible as to call miah's book reaching down to a
forth the best efforts of its readers in later period, but they were appendseeking to understand some of its ed loy a later band. e. q., Ne. xii,
parts
That he is wide in doing 80 22 It is also true that five sons of
18seen in the filet that 8uch effort.! Zoruhbuhol are mentioned in 1 Ch,
are hi.rhly beneficial to those who iii. 19,20, hut Abiud, the son menmake them, securing a blessin:;r to tioned in this list, is not among them,
every diligent student of the Bible unless he appears there under a difwhich well repays him for all his ferent name. Il e WIIS more likely
toil
a youngpr SOil, born nftor the latest
11. Josias begat Jechonias.additions to the list in Chronicles.
Between Josiah and .Iechoninh ~lat- All of Matthew's list, therefore, from
\ll('W omits another name, that of . A hiud to the immediate ancestors of
Jehoiakim. 'When Josiah W3.'l slain ".lnseph, who were known to Matthew
in battle at ~!f'l!:iddo. the people without the aid of written records,
elected his son .Iehoahaz to be his was derived from records ma.de 8UI>successor, but Pharaoh-neoho, who I sequent to the close of Old Testahad then overrun Judea, removed I mr-nt history
If we suppose that
him and put his brother Eliakim on I.Ja.cuh, the futher of .loseph, was
thf' throne, eh'ltl)6ng his name to Jc- 'known to ~fatthpw, the number
hJakim. Jechoniah W3.'l tho son and which he derived from such records
~U('Cel'80r
of Jehoiakim, and co!"se- W3.'l fi[/ht, including AbiuJ and the
quentlv W3.'l grand.'JI1 to JOSiah. seven between him and Jacob That
(KC'e2 Kings xxi ii. 2\1-31; xxiv, 6.) such records were kept is attested
All that we huve said above in ref- by J"sephuR, himself an enemy of
err-nee to the omissions in verse 8 is Christ and therefore not to be SU8applicable to this omission.
peered of manufacturing history to
and his brethren.-These
were support the Christian Scriptures.
proba.bly not brethren of .lechonias, In the first section of his autobiIn our sense of the term, but the ography, after tracing his ancestry
kindred of the young king, called in back to his grandfather's father, he
the text of 2 Kings his" princes," savs:" 'I'hus have I set down the geand here called his brethren in that ne"alo!!J of my family as I found
broad sense of the term peculiar to it described in the public records."
Hebrew usage. (See 2 Kings xxiv, \ He further asserts in his book
12.)
I against Appian (B. i. 8, 7), "We
Third Division. 12-16.
(I uke iii ,IHwtJ the names of our high priests
,
. I from father to son, set down in our
23-27.)
I records for the interval of two thouOnly three of the names in this I sand years;" and still further, he
division of the list are found in the I says that when a priest propoSe<!to
Old Testament, vis .Iechoniah, Sa-! marrv, in o-rder to be sure that hia
lathiel, and Zeruhbabel. This is intended wife is of pure Jowish
because the Old Testament history I blood, "he is to make a scrutiny, and
klrminated in the days of 7:erubba- I take his wifes genealogy from the
bel. who W!\8 a cotompornry of Xe- 'ancient tables. and procure manY

i. 12, 13. J

MATI'HEW.

21

away to Bab'ylon: uand after and Sala'thiel begat Zorob'abel;

they were brought to Bab'y- 11 and Zorob'abel begat Abi'ud;
lon, Jechoni'as begat Sala'thiel; and Abi'ud begat Eli'-akim; and
witnesses to it." This shows that not to his brother.
But this is a labonly the priestly family, but other ored attempt to remove a difficulty
families kept their genealogies; for which has no real existence. Jereif not, how could the priest trace miah does not sav that Jechoniah
the ancestry of any woman whom should he literally childless, hut he
he might wish to marry?
The ne- savs, "Write this man childless,"
cesaity for keeping such tables grew an"d then explains by the statement,
out of the Mosaic law of inheri- "for no man of his seed shall prostance, which transmitted landed es- per, sitting on the throne of David
tates from father to son throughout or ruling any more in Judah."
He
all generations, and which, even was to he childless only in the sense
when lands were sold, restored them of having no son to succeed him on
to the original owner everl fiftieth the thro'ne. It should also be "byear. (See Nu. xxvii. I-I ; xxxvi. served that )Iatthew is not alone re1-12; Lev. xxv. 23-~8.) Joseph, in- sponsible for the statement that
deed, was in the very act of contin- I Jechoniah begat Salathiel, for the
uing his family record when JeRu8 same statement is made bv the
was born; for ihejourney from Nus- author of Chronicles, who' was,
areth was for the purpose of enrol- doubtless, Ezra, a cotemporary of
ment, not of taxation.
(See Luke both Salathiel and Zerubbabel.
(1
ii. 4, 5.) The rublie record in our Ch. iii. 17.)
own country 0 all marriages, and
Salathiel
begat Zorobabel.in Great Britain of both marriages In 1 Ch. iii. 19, Zerubbahel is repand births, as also the private rec- resented as the fun of Peduiah,
ords kept in family Bibles, are mod- and not of Sulnthiel, as Matthew
ern substitutes for the ancient Jew- here has it; but Ezra and Neheish custom.
miah both agree with Matthew: and
12. Jechonias
begat
Salath-, their statements occur ill historical
iel.-Jechoniah
was on the throne I passazes which are not so liahle
at the time of the captivity, and in I to corruption through mistakes of
predicting his captivity the prophet transcribors,
as are genealog:ical
Jeremiah used these words: "Write: tables like that in Chronicles.
(Ace
1e this man childless, a man that I Ez. iii. 2; Ne. xii. I.) Luke also
shall not prosper in his days: for' follows these two writers instead of
no man of his seed shall pro~per, i Chronicles.
(Luke iii. 27.) This
sitting on the throne of David. or' uniform agreement (If all the pnralrulill;( allY more in Judah."
(.leI'. I JeI passages renders it almost ('prxxii.30.) Some have supposed from; tai n that the passage in Chronicles
this that there is a contradiction be- I has undergone an accidental chnnge
tween Jeremiah and Matthew, An; hv the hands of trnnscr ibers, P~
attempt has been made to reconcile: daiah haviru; been written in the
them by supposing that X eri, men- I place of Snlathiel. The present readtioned in Luke'e list as father of ' lllg of Chronicles is also that of the
8alathiel, was his actual father, and I Septuaaint version, made two hunihat Matthew calls him the son of [dred and eighty years before Christ
Jechoniah because Neri took .Iech- I wh ich shows that the reading U
oniah's widow, according to a provis- 'quite an ancient nne.
ion of the law. and raised up seed
13. Zorobabel
begat
Abiui!

22

MATTHEW.

Eli'akim be9"atA'zor; 1& and A'zor be at Sadoc; and Sa/doc be9

gat A chirn; and A'chim begat
Eli'nd; II and Eli'ud begat Elea'zar ; and Elea'zar begat Mat'-As
above stated,
the name of
Abiud is not given in the Old Tes-I
tament, although
five other sons of
Zerubbabel
are mentioned.
Some
writers have conjectured
that Abiud
ill another
name for some one of
these, but the greater probability
is
that he was a younger son.
At any
rate, llatthew
must
have had a
sufficient reason for giving us Abiud,
seeing that either of the names mentioned
in Chronicles
would
have
suited him as well if it had been the
true name.

The Divisions

Stated, 17.

17. fourteen generations.-

We have already considered

the Jist
in three divisions, because Matthew
himself so divides it in this verse.
The divisions are not arbitrary,
but
altogether
natural.
The persons in
the first, from Abraham
to David,
were Patriarchs,
David being the
first in the entire line who was both
a patriarch
and a king;.
(See Acts
ii :!9.) Those of the second were
all kings. successors
of David, .Techon iuh being the last king of .Iudah
in the direct line of descent
from
David. although his brother
Zedekiah reizned
eleven Yf'ars after he
and the chief part of the royal family
had been carried into capti\ ity.
(2
Kin:.o:s xxiv. 15-18.)
Those of the
third
division
were all heirs
of
Dnvids throne,
but none of them
reizned except Jesus. who now sits on
D,LVid's th rone according to the promise.
(Seo Acts xvJfi-L":
ii.2<J-35.)
The
manner
in which
Matthew
counts fourteen
in each division
is
eomewhnt.si ngul.ir. The first actually
contains fourteen names. The second
is mad to contain foi-rteen. as we

[i. 14-17

than; and Mat'than begat Jar

cob; I'and Ja'cob begat Jo'sepL
the husband of Ma'ry, of whom
was born Je'sus, who is called
Christ. ITSo all the generations
I have seen

above, by omitting
four
names.
'I'he third coutains only thirI teen new names, but is made to count
fourteen by repeating,
as the first of
this division, the name of Jechoniah,
whichwusthelastofthcscconddivision.
This is apparent to any one who
will take the trouble to count.
Itdeceives no one, because it lies on the
very surface of the text; but it showi
once more how careful Matthew wa~
to have an even count in the division,
of his list.
This circumstance
also
shows that there are no omission.
in the last division ; for if the actual
number
of generations
had been
fourteen or more, there would have
been no occasion to repeat the name
of Jechoniah.
Before closing our remarks on the
genealogy
it is proper to say something of the .great difference between
the forms of proper
names in the
Old Testament and in the X ew. This
difference
forces itself on the attention of the reader here more than
anvwhere
else in the New Testamerit.
The difference
arises from
three distinct
causes:
First, from
the loss of certain letters by Hebrew
names in passinp; through the Greek,
the language
111
which the New
Testament
was written.
The Greek
has no h nor j. and it usually terminates
masculine
proper
names
with an s ; so that Hebrow names with
the former letters in them must 1,e
spelt in Greek without
them, and
those terminating
in h, which is a
very common Hebrew termination,
must have h changed to .'. Thus,
Rehoboam
ber-omes Roboam, Heze
kiah becomes Ezekias
Elijah, Elias
etc.
Second,
the Hebrews
were
much I!iven to contr .ction of prorer

L 18.]

MATIHEW.

from A'braham to Da'vid are away into Bab'ylon unto Christ

fourteen generations ; and from are fourteen generations.
11 Now the birth
of [Je'sus]
Da'vid until the carrying away
into Bab'ylon are fourteen gen- 18 'I~O'ov Rec, Omitted by T. 8. Green.
71, d. N. Syr'iae, Old Latin. Vulerations; and from the carrying Tregelles,
gate, etc.
names:
thus, Jehoshaphat
is contracted into Josa,rhat, Jehoram
into
Joram, Azariah into Uzziah.
This
last name furnishes
an example of
the co-worki nl! of both these causes.
Originally
Azariah,
it became
by
contraction
Uzz inh, and then, by the
peculiar mode of spelling in Greek,
It became Ozias, as in verses 8 and
\) above.
Third,
all living
languages undergo some chunjres of pronunciation,
and subsequent
changes
of srelling
to suit the new pronunciation.
Some of these differences
are doubtless to he accounted
for in
this way, e. g., Salathiel, of Chronie les and ~atthew,
is Shealtiel
in
Ezra and Nehemiah;
while Zerubbabel, of all these Old Testament
writers,
is Zorobabel
in Matthew
and Luke.
ARGUliENT

op SEOTION 1.

Matthew's chief object, as we have

stated in the Introduction,
? 5, is to
prove the Measiahship
and the divinity of Jesus, and every section
of the narrative
has some bearing
on this question.
His object in the
genealogy, as the superscription
sufficiently
indicates
(verse I), is to
show that Jesus is of the right lineage to be the Messiah.
God had
romised
with an oath to David
that he would raise up from his
offspring the Messiah til sit on his
throne.
(P~. Ixxxix. il, 4.)
This
was well understood
by both the
friends
and
the
foes of Jesus.
(See Matt. xxii. 42.)
The section
shows
that Jesus
possessed
this
characteristic
of the promised Messinh
It does not prove him to be
of the blood of David. for the blood
line. according
to Matthew's
own

showing
in the latter part of this
chapter,
did not pa~s from Joseph
to Jesu~ j but Jt'~us was born to
Mary after her marriage with Joseph, and
consequently,
he was
Joseph's
lawful heir, and inherited
the throne through
him.
The ar~ument does not prove that Je~us
IS the Mesaiah, but only that he is
of the right lineage.
It estahlishes
one of the facts necessary
to the
proof of the Meesiahship.
Luke's
genealogy
supplements
Matthew's
by showing that Jesus. on his mother's side, inherited
the blood of 1'/1vid : but Luke does not follow the
line of kings, and consequently
he
proves noth ing as regards
the inheritance
of the throne.
Thus WE
see that hv a line of ancestry which
brought
jesus
no inhcritance
he
received the blood of David, and by
a line which established
no blood
con nect ion he inherited
the throne
of Dav id. We can hut admire the
providence which first brought about
this striking
coincidence
and then
caused it to be recorded
in so sin/!ular a manner by two independent
historians.
!:'ECTIO~

II.

BIRTH OF JESUS, 1.
J

1~-25.

~~~~~~lr~(~l;~~
"'a\~d23tL~'IC~1
~11d'B~r~~
24,25.

18. found with

child.-Matr
thew's narrative
is here elliptical.
He omits the account of the angel's
visit to :\[ary, and of her immediate
departure
out of Gulilcp into Judea,
where she remained
three months
with Elisabeth.
(Luke
i. 26-56)
It was doubtless
very Boon aftel

24

MATTHEW.

Christ was on this wise: 'When

as his mother Ma'ry was espoused
to Jo'seph, before they came together, she was found with child
of the Holy Ghost. 18Then J 0'eeph her husband, being a just
man, and not willing I to make
':ler a public example: to expose
her I, was minded to put her away
privily. 10 But while he thought
on these things, behold, the angel
of the Lord appeared unto him
in a dream, saying, Jo'seph, thou

[i. 19-23.

19 ><apa~"YI'aT'<Ta, Reo. 6"YI'aT'<Ta" Lach.,

TU.ch., T.S Green, Alf()rd, Tregelles, B,z,l.

son of Da'vid, fear not to take

unto thee Ma'ry thy wife: for
that which is conceived in her is
of the Holy Ghost. S1 And she
shall bring forth a 80n, and thou
shalt call his name JESuS:
for
he shall save his people from
their sins. "N ow all this was
done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord
hy the prophet, saying, II Behold, a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a
son, and they shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being inter

her return
into Galilee that her
r'reg;:>ancy was discovered by her
relatives and by Joseph.
Matthew
dues nut mean by the statement,
she was fuund with child by the
Huly Spirit," that her friends knew
it to be from the Holy Spirit, for
the next verse shows that Joseph
knew it not.
19. to put her away.--Supposing that Mary had committed adultery, Joseph at once resolved to put
her away; but he hesitated whether
to expose her publicly or to put her
away privately.
According
to the
law a public exposure would have
subjected her to the penalty of death
bv stoning (Deut. xxii, 23,24); but
arthough, being a just man," one
who favored the execution
of justice, he thought \ i this course, he
W!l.8 unwilling
to make a public example of her. so he resolved to take
advantage of another statute which
allowed an unconditional
and unexplained separation at the will of the
husband.
(Deut. xxiv, 1.)
20, 21. appeared
to him in
a dream,-How
those dreams in
which God or angels
communicated with the dreamers
were distinguishable
from those in which
there was only an appearance
of
such visitationll, is nowhere declared

in the Scriptures.
Certain
it is,
however, that God, who causes such
visitations,
can make the dreamer
know their realitv.
The statement
of the angel confirml'd
the story
which Mnry, no doubt. had already
related, but which Joseph had regarded as incredible.
thy wife.-Mary
is called the
wife of Joseph. although the marriage had not been consummated,
because she virtually sustained this
relation
to him, and was rezarded as his wife in the eyes of the
law.
Jesus,-The
word means sarior,
and points to the chief purpose of the
incarnation.
Little did .Joseph then
realize what was meant by the stateme:>t, ': he ,~hall save his people from
their sms.
22, 23. that it might be fulfilled, -The
words here quoted
from I saiah are part of a prediotion addressed to King Ahaz, concerning
a threatened
invasion
of
his territory hv the kinz of Israel
and Syria.
(Tsa, vii. 10--16; viii.
1-4.)
All of it was fulfilled within
a few years except what is here
quoted-that
a vir!/in should eonceive and bring forth a son, and
that his name should be called Emmanuel.
When the people of Isar-

I
I

i. 1:4, 25.]

MATTHEW.

26

preted is, God with us. Then' she had brought forth I her firstJ?'seph being rais,ed from sleep born son: a 1lOnl: and he called
did as the angel of the Lord had I his name JESUS.
bidden him, and took unto him I
his wife: 16and knew her not till I vii,. Laeh., Tisch., T. 8. Green, Altord. TM
25

inK.

"b,. vi.b . Q.bTl;~,.bv

ttPW1"OTOKOJl'

, gel les, ~, R. Z. 1, sa, abc,

Rt'-C. I Coptic, Sah idre,

ete., N. Syrlac

- 1-------------------------------

an's time Ba~ !he fulfillment of part: by any other passage of Scripture.
of the prediction they should have The reader should observe ,-llOW'
looked forward with confidence to ~ever, that the term first.bo'ril bethe fulfillment of the rcmainder-j : fure son, which hal! been used to
and so should the succeeding gen prove that Mary had other sons
erations of the Jews down 'to the, after JeRu8, has been thrown out
time of Jf>6UB. Had they done 80: by the critics, (See oritical notes.)
they would have been more ready I'~t was probably interpolated to emto believe the story here recited by /'llhasize the fact of Mary's previous
Matthew.
virginity.
The J[arriage Consummated
and
,
,the Child Born, 24, 25. (Luke ii.
ARGt:lIENT
OF SEOTION 2.
'l-i.)
I In this section Matthew exhibits
21. took unto him his wife.I the
fact that .lesus was actually
Joseph seems tu hare made no de- i born the Son of God, and that this
lay in obeying tho voice of the an- was in fulfillment of a predictioD
f!:el; consequently the marr iage oc- long previously made bv Isaiah.
curred some months previous to the That the prediction had" been in
bir th of the child. To marry II wo- existence ever since the reign of
man in Marv's condition must have Ahaz, was u fact well known to
subjected ,J,;seph to much obloquy. the Jews, both believers and unbeMary's explanation of IH'r coucep- lievers. It was equally well known
tion had already t.en discredited;
that although Emmanuel was not
and when Jo"~ph excused himself the personal name of .lesus, he
for .marryinz her hy tplling of the had claimed to be Emmanuel (God
visit and command of the angel. he with us), and had demonstrated the
had the appearancp of iuventiuz claim both by the acts of his life
the storv as an excuse for marrv~ and his resurrection from the dead.
ing 1\ f:dlen woruun. Under this This part of the prediction, then,
cloud of ill fame the holy couple was certainly fulfilled in him, and
must have lived until the mirucles the proof of this contain" the proof
attendant on the birth of the child that the other part was likewise
confirmed their story, and the works fulfilled; for if we inquire how a
of his life demonstrated that he was, being could come into this world
Il.8 ~lltrJ had nffirmed from the be- at once unquestionably
the Son of
ginnin r, the actual Hon of God,
God and the Son of man, we find
25. knew her not.-The
state- no other wlty in whioh the event
ment that Joseph knew not Murv could occur than by his being born
(sexually) until she brought forth of 1\ virgin through the miraculous
a "on, implies that he did know her power of God, as declared b;r Mat..
after this. The Hom ish assumption thew. Thus our historian, With his
that Marv always remained a vir- mind directed to the compound
(in, is inconaistent with what is proposition fir-st affirmed by Peter,
here implied. and iR unsupported
that JeRu_ is the Christ, the Son of

26

MATIHEW.

II. I Now when Je'sus WII8 born

in Beth'lehem of J udre'a in the
days of Her'od the king, behold,
there came wise men from the
the living God,
section tliat he
eage to be the
second that he
oCGod

proves in his
is of the right
Ghrist, and in
is the actual

[ii. 1,2.

east to Jerusalem,
saving,
Where is he that is born King
of the Jews? for we have seen
his star in the east, and are

fir8t
linthe
Son

Greek word here incorrectly rendered "wise men" (I'tPr0l) designates

an order of priests and philosophers
called magi, which had existed in
the countries east of the Euphrates
from a remote period. Various kinda
of superstition prevailed among them
at different periods, but they POI'
SECTION III.
sessed all the real learning and phi.
EVENTS
IX THE CHILDHOOD
OP
losophy of those countries. The men
JESUS, II.
called magicians in the book of DanVI<1t of the Wise Men, \-\2;
Flight iel belonged to this order. (Dan. i.
Into Egypt, 13-15; Hlallgllter of tile
20; iv, 9.) For It further account of
Lnfu.nr s. 16-18; Return rrom Egv pt
and Residence III Nazareth,
19-2:l.
them see Smith's Dictionary.
2. his star in the east.-Much
learned labor has been expended in
Visit of the Wise Men, 1-12.
efforts to determine what star it was
1. Herod the king.-Matthew's
that guided the magi, and how they
nearest approach to giving the date knew its signitlcunce.
\Vithout ded the birth of JE'8US is the state- tailing any of the theor iea in refe\"ment that it occurred" in the davs ence to the firat of these questions,
of Herud the king." (See below on it is enough to remark that one filet,
19.) Herod is called" the king," almost universullv overlooked bv the
to distinguish him from the other commentutors,
"demon"tratps' the
Herods who were his descendants,
truth of the old supposition that the
and especially from Herod the te- star was a miraculous meteor which
trarch, subsequently mentioned by hung but n short distance ,!thove the
Matthew.
(xiv. I.)
His history earth.
This fact is. that when the
is given with great fullness of de-I magi left .Ierusulern the star" went
tail by .losephus, Ant., Books xiv ' before them. and came and stood
to xvii.
100'p\, whore the young child was "
in Bethlehem
of J udea.- W e This could not be true of a real star,
learn from Luke that .Ioseph and because a realstar can not move on
Mary had resided previous to the before men. and stand over a par
birth of Jesus in Nazareth of Gali- ticular house so as to distinguish it
lee, and that it was the dccree of from other houses. A child, looking
Augustus Ceasar concerning the en- at a star near the horizon, may
rollment which had brought them imagine that it hangs 0\ er a certui e
to Bethlehem.
(Luke i. 26, 27; ii. house; but when it walks up to thai
1-4.) Matthew omits th is, and be- house it finds that the star is lUI far
gins hi. narr-ative as if Bethlehem off a" before and is hnnrrinz over
was the permanent home of Joseph. another house. The star of the magi
This is accounted for bv the fact stood over the house whr-rr-tho child
that Joqeph intended to make Beth- was until thov came up and entered
lehem his home for the future. (See the house. thus preventing them
21, 22.)
from entering the wrong house and
wise men from the east.-The
flndiuz the wronll' child.

ii, 3-8.]

MATTHEW.

27

come to worship him. 'When I prophet, ' And thou Beth'lehem,

Her'od the king had heard these I in the land of Ju'da, are not the
thin~, he was troubled, and all least among the princes of J u'da:
Jeru salem with him. 'And for out of thee shall come a Govwhen he had gathered all the ernor, that shall rule my people
chief priests and scribes of the ls'rae!. I Then Her'od, when he
people together, he demanded had privily called the wise men,
of them where Christ should I enquired of them diligently what
be born. 'And they said unto time the star appeared. And
him, In Beth'Jehem of J udse'a: he sent them to Beth'lehem,
for thus it is written by the and said, Go and search dillAs to their source of information I He inferred that the coming king
concerning the significance of the was the Christ, because the Jews
star, it must have been such as not were looking for the Christ, and beonly revealed to them the birth ofa cause no ordinary king would be
king of the Jews, but also inspired heralded in this wonderful manner.
them with the disposition to visit The chief priests included both the
Judea for the purpose of doing him high priest and the chiefs of the
homage and presenting him with twenty-four eourscs or clll~SeR into
gifts. It is most in harmony with which the priests were divided by
all of the known facts of the history David. (1 Ch, xxiv. ]-1 g.) Th
to suppoae that when the star ap- 8cribes were men trained to penmanpea red a direct revelation was made ship, and occupied with transoribto the magi which led to all of their ing the Scriptures, keepin~ puhlie
subsequent movements.
The child records. and all similar work. They
was in this way revealed to the naturally acquired familiarity with
shepherds of Bethlehem, to Simeon the contents of the Scriptures and
ana to Anna; and in this wa.v the skill in tho ir interpretutiou.
(Cornp.
ma/!i themselves were instructed not 2 Sam. vii i. 17; 1 Ks. iv, ;); .ler,
to return to Herod, hut to /!o home xxxvi. 26; Ezra vii. 6; Matt. xiii
\;)vanother route. (Verse 12.)
52: Mark xii. 3.'i.)
3. he was troubled. - The
5, 6.-The promptness with which
trouble of Herod, when he heard the the priests and scribes answered
inquiry of the strangers, was natu- that the Christ was to be born in
ral. Being near the close of his own Bethlehem, shows that the matter
reizn, and naturally anxious con- was well understood bv the .Tews.
cerninz the succeasion to the throne, The prediction cited from Micah
he could not hear with equanimity (Mi. v. ~) taken in connection with
that the founder of a r ivul dvnasty the fact that the Messiah was to be
had been born. All .JerUlllllem Wl1S of the house of David whoso landed
troubled with him because they patrimony was at Bethlehem, wall
dreaded a conflict between two conclusive.
(I Sam. xvi, J \
claimants for the throne.
7, 8. bring me word.-Herod's
4. chief priests and scribes.careful inquiry ns to the time when
Hear-inn that one wns born to be the star arrenrNI, and his order
king
the Jews nnd heralded hy I that the nuun , when they found him,
the appeaT~nce of u star in the henv- i should hr inz him word again, 8h",{
ens, Herod assembles the chief, thar he had already conceived the
priests and scribes, and inquires i purpose which he afterward
atwhre the Chrt'st should be born. I tempted to execute.

or

28

MATTHEW.

gently for the young child; and'

when ye have found him, bring
me word again, that I may come
and worship him also. v'Vhen
they had heard the king, they
departed;
aud, 10, the star,
which they saw in the east,
went before them, till it came
and stood over where the young
child was. iO When they saw
the star, they rejoiced with ex-I
ceeding great joy.
11 And
wheu they were come
into the house, they saw the

[ii. 9-13.

young
child with Ma'ry his
mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had
opened their treasures, they presen ted unto him gifts; gold, and
trankincense, and myrrh. 11 And
being warned of God in a dream
that they should uot return to
Her'od, they departed into their
own COUll try another way. uAnd
when they were departed,
behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to .Io'seph ill a dream,
saying,
Arise, and take the

9, 10. and 10, the star.-The

.Iesus, a token of the yet undevelstar which they had seen in the east: oped purpose of Oud concerning
had evidently disappeared before I the Gentile world. The I;(iftawhich
they reached .J r-rusalom, but now it they presented in compliunce with
reappeared when ita t;;uidance was I an eastern custom constituted ,
needed. Their exceeding joy at see- I timely provision fur the unexpected
ing it arose from the fact that with- sojourn in E;.!ypt.
out some guidance they might be
12. warned of God in a dream.
unable to find the child they sought, -That the U1a)!iwere wurued in a
and partly also from the fact that it dream not to return to Herod. shuws
was an assurance of Ood' s presence that they retired to sleep after pr6and approbation. The star served senting their gifts; being thus
another important purpose which aroused from slumber tIJl'Ydeparted
was unperceived bv the magi. It at uuce, and thus au:ain ILHJid"dI;iv
enabled them to find the child with- ing publicity in Bethlehem tu the
out makiug such inquiries in Beth- startling facts connected with their
lehem as would have directed pub- visit.
lie attention to him, and have interFliqh.t into Egypt: 13-15
Ceredwith his escape from a danger
yet unforseen. The entrance of the
13, 14. when they were demagi into the city, by night, which parted.-lt
appears from the text
is clearly implied in the fact of the that immediately after the departure
star being visible, cootributpd still of the magi the angel appeared to
further to the privacy which was 80 .Ioseph in a dream, warned him of
uecessary to safety.
the danger, and commanded him to
11. and worshiped him.-The
flee; and that he started while it
homage which the magi puid to the was yet night. Neither the arrivnl
child was something more than that of the magi, nor their departure,
which was due to ruyalt.v, fur the nor the flight of .Icseph and Mary,
miraculous manner in which they was known to the people of Bethlehad been ~idpd to the spot must hem. To .Ioseph and ~lary that
have taught them that the child was was a night of conflicting emotions.
more than mortal. These Gentiles, Equally surpr iaed aud delighted bl
for Bueh we suppose them to be, the congratulations and presents of
.sr9 the first to pay homage to the Gentile strangers, they had gon

ii 14-16.1

MA'ITHEW.

29

filled which was spoken of the

Lord by the prophet,
saying,
Out of E'gypt have I called my
son.
I'Then Her'od, when he saw
that he was mocked of the wise
men, was exceeding wroth, and
sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth'lehem,
and in all the coasts thereof,

young child and his mother,

and flee into E'gypt,
and be
thou there until I bring thee
word: for Her'od will seek the
young child to destroy him.
I' 'Vhen he arose, he took the
young child and his mother by
night. and departed into E'gypt:
16 and was there
until the death
of Her'od: that it might be ful-

to sleep only to be terrified by the him 8.8 a mockery of his authority.

announcement that Herod would It tended both to enrage him and to
seek to kill the child whom the magi magnify his conception of the
had worshiped; and now they are danger which threatened his dyoppressed by the excitement attend- nasty.
ing an instantaneous flight. and by
all the children.-The
Greek
the sndness with which tlH''yantici- word rendered children ( .ai>,1(ailis)
pate an indefinite sojourn III a for- is masculine, and means male chileign land. They find, as they had dren. As it was a male child that
found from the beginniug, that the he was seeking to destroy, he could
high honor of heing the earthly par- have no reason for destroying the
ents of tho Lord of glory, like every female infants. At this point the
other God-given honor. must be at- reason why both the visit of the
tended by sorrow and aelf-sacrifice. magi and the flight of Joseph and
To protect and rear at all hazards Mary had been kept so secret bethat child was the work to which comes apparent. If these events
God had called them, and faithfully had been known in Bethlehem the
they fulfilled the heavenly trust. people could have saved their own
Mary and Joseph, however, are not Infants by sending swift messengers
the only parents who have been to bring back the real object of
thua situated; often it is that parents Herod's jealousy. The infants of
perform their greatest work in life Bethlehem died for the safety of
by brinl'ing into being und properly him who was destined to die for the
rearing a sini!:lechild.
safety of all.
15. Out of Egypt.-The
words
two years old and under.here quoted from Hosea and applied Herod's plan was to slay so many
to -Iesus were originally spoken con- child~en, ~nd of such an age, ~ to
corning lsraol : .When Isruel was I certainly Include the young king.
a child. then I loved him. and called He had ascertained the time at
my son out of Egypt." (Hos. xi. 1.) which the star appeared, but he
In applying these words to .Iesus could not know from this the exMatthew makes Israel's entrance act time of the child's birth; for
into Eh'Vptand departure therefrom the star might have appeared either
typi0,al'of the same movements on before or afte the birth. His plan,
the part of .Jesus.
therefore. required him to give him.
self a margin on both sides-that is,
r
Sl l1l.qhter of the Infants, 16-18. to include children of such an age
16. mocked of the wise men. that if the star appeared either a
-The departure of the magi with- few months after or a few months
out returning to Herod was taken by before the birth of Jesus. JeaUIJ

MATTHEW.

80

from two years old and under,

according to the time whieh he
had diligently inquired of the
wise men. 1l Then was fulfilled
that which was spoken Iby:
17 i",b Rec,
!.a Laeh.,
Grven , Alford, Tregellea.",
Vulgate, etc.

would

be

included.

[ii. 17, 18.

through I Jer'eml the prophet.

saying, 18 In Ra rna was there a
voice heard, [lamentation, and]
weeping, and great mourning,

br

18 Bpijvo. <ai. Omitted

Lach., Ttech .
Tt sch., T. 8. T. S. Green, Alford, Trege les. ", B. Z, I,
B, C, D, Z, etc 22, Old Latin, Vulgate,
Coptic, Bahldlc,
P. ~yriac, etc.

As

he

went

back to two years, and came for-I

ward to the last mule child born'
in Bethlehem,
it is probable
that
the star had appeared
within the
previous year
17, 18, spoken
by Jeremy
the
prophet.-The
words here quoted
were originally written concerning
the Babylonish captivity.
(.Jer. xxxi.
15.) Ruma was a town of Benjamin.
(Jw.h. sv iii. 25.) Jeremiah was carried thither in chains with the other
capti \ es, but was there released by
order of Nebuchadnczznr.
(Jer. xl.
I; xxx ix. 11, 12.) Here he saw the
cnpti ves depart
for Babylon,
und
heard the weeping of the poor who
were left in the land (xxxix. 10);
hence the mention of Hamil. as the
place of the lnmentations.
He represents Rachel as weeping, because
the Benjamites
were descendants
of
Rachel, and, perhaps.
because the
tomb of Rachel was "in the border
of Benjamin,"
and not far away.
(1 Sam. x. 2.)
The image of the
ancient mother of the tribe rising
from her tomb to weep, and refusing to be comforted
because
her
children
were not around
her, is
inimitably
beautiful;
and this image so strikingly
portrayed
the
weeping
in Bethlehem
that ~htthew adopts the words of the prophet, und says they were here fultilled.
It was the fulfillment,
not
of a prediction,
properly speaking,
but uf certain
ioords epoken by
tbe prophet.
The three quotations
from the
prophets
contained
in this chapter
(6, 15, IS) belong to and illustrate

i -th-re-e-d-i-s-ti-n-c-.t-cl-a-s-s-cs-o-f-s-u-c-h-quV'
tations
which
are found
lU
the
New Testament.
and which eepEr
cially abound
in ~tatthe"".
fhe
first, concerning
the birth-place
of
Jesus, is strictly
a prediction,
for
it refers directly to the event.
The
second, concerning
the call out of
Egypt,
is an example
of words
used with a double reference, havini( both a primnry and secondary
reference
and fulfillment.
~uch
predictions
are sometimes
called
typical, because they are ori;rinally
spoken conce rn ing a type and find
another fulfillment
in the antitype
(See Lange,
Matt. ii. l.'i.)
The
third, concerning:
the weeping
at
Bethlehem,
is an example in which
the event fulfills the meaning
of
words used by a prophet,
though
the words had originally
no refer
ence at all to this event,
It is a
verbal fulfillment,
and not a real
fulfillment,
as in the other two
cases.
Matthew's account of this slaughter has been objected to M highly
improbable,
if not incrodible,
for
three reasons : First, Because of
the absence of a sufficient motive
to induce eo i(reat a crime;
Second, Because of the silence of Jo
serhus,
who details very fury the
crimes of Herod, but says nothin~
of this;
Third, Because of the el
lence of Mark, Luke and John in
reference
to it.
The IMt reason
hili! no force whatever,
for }tark
and John omit all mention of the
birth and childhood of Jesus; and
Luke, thou~h
he writes more on
thia part ot the history than ~Iat

19.]

MATTHEW.

31

I. But when Her'od was dead,

Ra'chel weeping for her children, and would not be com- behold, an angel of the Lord apforted, because they lire not.
peareth in a dream to Jo'seph ill

ihew does. chooses to repeat nothing which Matthew records.

The
second is without force, because
Joeephu8 was an unbeliever, and
studioualy avoided the recital of
such factB as would furnish eviden ee in favor of Jesus.
A faithful record of this event would have
proved that Jesus was an object of
special divine protection.
The first
reason is equally untenable, for the
motive presented was abundantly
sufficient to excite such a man as
IIerod to commit the crime in
question.
He had previously been
moved by jealousy to murder two
high priests, his uncle Joseph, his
favorite wife Mariamne, and three
of his own sons, besides many other
innocent persons.
When about to
die, knowmg that his subjecta would
be inclined to rejoice at his death,
he determined to make them mourn,
and, to this end, he shut up a largo
number of prominent men in a hippodrome and ordered them to be
massacred the moment he ehoald
breathe his last. (Josephus, Ant.,
books xiv-xvii.)
It is in perfect
keeping with this career of jealousy and bloodshed that when the
birth of 11 new king not of his family was 80 mysteriously announced,
he should adopt the most desperate
measures for putting him out of the
way. True. It was not very likely
that the child just born would demand the throne during Herod's
lifetime, but his jealousy had refence to the perpetuity of his dynuty. as well as to his own personal
reign.
There is strong confirmation both of this view of the subject and of the principal fact itself
found in the writinp: of Macrobius,
a heathen author who lived at the
close of the fourth or the beginning
IIf the fifth century,
and who says:

"Augustus,
having been informed
Herod had ordered a son of
his own to be killed among the
male infants about two years old
I whom he had put to death in Syria,
said, It is better to be Herod's hog
than his son." (Hurne'slnt.,
part;
H., book ii, chap. vii, ~ 7.) The
marked difference between this aocount and that of Matthew, and the
introduction
of the empcrllr's remark, show that Mucrobius did not
obtain his information
from Mat.thew's narrative, but from some independent source.
lie makes the
same mistake made by the ma/!:i-tho.t
of supposing that the new-born king
w as Herod's son. He further supposes. as Herod and his friends did,
thut the child whose destruction
was sought actually perished among
the infants.
The remark quoted
from the emperor Au~ul!tus has
reference to the fact that Herod,
being a Jew. would not kill a hog;
and it shows that the massacre was
a well-known fact and a subject of
public remark at the time, as far
away from Bethlehem as the imperial palace in Rome.

I that

Return from Egypt and Resideuc

in Nazareth, 19-23.

19. when Herod was dead.-

According to the received chronology JI'SUS was born in the lust year
of Herod. and he was. therefore, lese
than a year old when Herod died.
His birth occurred four year8 provious to our oommon era, the era
having been erroneously fixed by
Dyonisius Exiguus
in the sixth
century.
(For a statement of the
facta and figures on this subject
see Smith's Dictionary, Art. Jesus
Christ.)
By remaining
in Ei!Ypt
until the Lord brouaht him word.

82

MA'J;THEW.

[ii 20-23

E'gypt, 30 saying, Arise, and take

the young child and his mother,
and go into the land of Is'rael:
for they are dead which sought
the young child's life. And
he arose, and took the young
child and his mother, and came
into the land of Is'rael. But
when he heard that Archela'us

did reign in Judre'a. in the room

of his father Her'od, he was
afraid to go thither: notwithI standing, being warned of God
in a dream, he turned aside
into the parts of Gal'ilee: and
he came and dwelt in a city
called Naz'areth : that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken

Joseph
obeyed
the command
of
God.
(Comp. 13.)
22
afraid to go thither. The statement
that Joseph,
when
hi'! heard that Archelaus
was reigninz in Judea,
was afraid
to !!-o
thither, implies that he had intended to return to .ludea, and doubtless to Bethlehem.
This intention
explains the fact that after the presentation of the child in the temple
(Luke ii. 22) he returned
to Bethlehcm and was found there by the
ma~i.
When he came from Nazureth to Bethlehem
before the birth
of the child he intended
to make
the latter place his permanent
residence;
and now, although
he was
afraid
to retu..n
thither,
he did
not change his purpose until God
warned
him in another
dream to
go into Galilee.
His prompt compliance with all these heavenly directions,
and this in behalf of a
child that was not his own, shows
how fit a man he was for the momentous
trust
committed
to his
hands.

language,
or that they had said
what is equivalent
to this.
The
latter is doubtless
the real meaniug.
Many of the prophets
had
predicted
the lowly life of the Savior, and this is proverbially
expressed when he ;~ called a Kazarene.
Such wu... the reputation
of Nasureth
that even the guileless Nathaniel,
when told that
Christ had been found, and tliM
he was of Nazareth of Galilee, exclaimed," Can any 900d thing come
out of Nazareth?'
(John
i. 45,
46.)
Matthew
says not that he
shall be a Nazarene,
but that he
shall be called a Nazarene.
,It
was the circumstance
of his residence in Nazareth
that led to his
being called a Naznrene
when he
was really a Bethlehemite.
It afterward furnished
hi" enemies with
an opprobrious
epithet, and all thil
is summed up in the words into
which ~latthew condenses the prophetic utterances.
A OIDIE
S
3

23. spoken by the prophets.The words He shall be called a

Nazarene,"
here said to have been
spoken by the prophets,
are not
found in any of the extant
prophetic writinl!s.
It should be observed that ~Iatthew's
ex presaion
concerning
them is peculiar.
He
does not say, Ill! is usual with him,
"spoken by the prophet," but "apuken by the prophets."
This expression may mean either that the
prophets
generally
had used this

'I'he preceding: section furnishee

three more arguments
in favor of
the claims of Jceus: First, It proves
that God a('knowledg:ed him as thl.
predicted
king of the .Tews by miraculously gu id inz tho magi ; Second,
It show". that after having been thus
acknowlcdzed
he was miraculouslj
rrotect('d from the machination of
Ierod,
as we would expect the
Christ to be; Third, it shows, th,,*
in the place of his birth, in the a .
tempt to murder him, in his flight

!fa

ST

OF

ECTIOS

iiL 1,2.]

MATTHEW.

II

by the prophets, He shall be derness of J udee'a, I [and] 88.ycalled a Naz/areue.

ing, Repeut ye: for the kingIII. 1 In those days came John
the Baptist, preaching ill the wil- AI~O~~.&C. Omitted by Lach., T. 8. GleeD.,
into E~pt, and in his residence at
Xazareth. utterances of the prophets
were fulfilled. Such 11 combination
of miraculous events in the first
year's history of the chilli goes far
to prove him to be the Son of God;
and when these events are considered in connection with the argumenta of the first and second sections, the proof must appear conclusive.

tory until the third century of the

Christian era. Moreover, It was a
dim-rent rite in it;" form from John's
bnptism: for, while John immersed
others, in proselyte baptism the candidate immersed himself by goin~
into the water to a convenient depth
and dipping himself under.
(See
Kitto's Cyclopedia and Smith's Dietionary.)
Such a baptism was by
the law required of all persons whc
were unclean.
'When the sprink
ling of blood or of the ashes of the
SECTION IV.
JOHS'S MINISTRY AND THB BAP':'ISM red heifer was required,
this bathOl!' JESUS, III.
ing always followed; and it constiJohn In the Wf ldernes,s, 1-6; .Ioh ns tuted a part uf the process of puri(See
Preaching
and
the
Christ
An- fication in all othcr cases.
nouuced, 7-12; JeHU. Baptized, 13-17. Lev. xiv. 9; Num. xix, 19; 7; 8;
Lev. 15. passim: Hi. ~-t-28; xvii
John in the Wilderne.~8,1-6. (Mark 15.) Somc twenty distinct cases are
i. 1-6; -Luke iii. 1-6.)
specified in which the bw Tl'quirl'd
1. In those days.-These
words this bathing, and it is ttl these that
connect the events about to be re- Paul refers when he states that the
lated with those of the preceding law consisted in part of "diners IIIIPchapter.
But those events occurred tisms." (Hel., ix 10.) But the law
duriug the infancy of Jesus, and required nothing; of this kind in the
these when he was about thirty CMe of proselyte as a means of io iyears of age, (See Luke iii. 23.) tiation; and when the practice of
Consequently a period of more than proselyte baptism was introduced it
twenty-eight years had intervened, was a human appenduue to the Jewand we see that Matthew uses the ish ritual. j ust as infant bapti-m was
expression" in those days" very in- to the Christian
ritual.
definitely. This accords with Mat2. Repent ye -The theme of
thew's general inattention to chro- John's preachin~ was repentance,
nology.
and the chief motive by which he
the Baptist -The title Baptist enforced the duty of repenting wns
is !!iven to John, because he was the the near approach of the kingdom
originator under God of the ordi- of heaven. The latter event served
nance of baptism.
It is supposed
as a motive to indnr-e repentance
by many that the ordinance did not because only by repentance could
orizinate
with him, but that he the people he prepared for it. A
oopi~d it from. the J('wi~h proselyte peoT;lletotally indifferent to the!r vibaptism. It 18 doubtful, however, elations of the law already !!Iyen,
whether 1'ro.e1yte bapti .m exi .ted would be ill-prepared to receive nn
among the Jp.ws pre\ ions to this: additional revelation .Ioh n' theme.
time, 8,S it is nut mentioned in his- I therefore,
was well adapted to his

MATTHEW.

34

(10m (If heaven is at hund. For

thi is he that was spoken of Iby:
fJlrDugh I the prophet Esa'ias, sayiug, The voice of one crying ill
the wilderness, Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make his paths

[iii. 3-7.

I and a leathern girdle about his

loins; and his meat was locusts
and wild houev.
6 Then
went
out to him J eru'salern, and all
J udre'a, and all the regioll round
about Jor'dan.
I And Were baptized of him ill Jor'dan,
confess-

straight.
'And the same John
had his raiment of camel's hair, ing their sins.
T But
when he saw man v of
3 imb Rec.
t.ach., Tisch .. T. S. Green,
the Phnr'isees and Sad'dlicees
Aliord, Tregel le.
~1.t1

mission as the herald of the coming withstanding the unfavorable localkingdom.

ity selected by John, he had no lack
3. The voice.-That
John was of an audience.
The term all, howcertainly the person spoken of by ever, is used here according to 8
Isaiah as "the voice crying in the Hebrew idiom by which it is put for
wilderness," is evident from the the :rreater part
This appears from
fact that he alone, among all the )Jatthew's
subsequent
statement
great preachers known to history, that the chief priests and elders of
chose a wilderness as his place of the people did not accept John's
preaching.
All others, not except- baptism, and from Luke's statement
Ing .Iesus and his apostles, went into that the Pharisees and lawyers, as
the cities and villages where the a clas, rejected it. (xxi, 2;~-:!');
people could be found: .Ioh n alone Luke vii. 3U.)
began and ended in the wilderness,
6, confessing
their sins.-We
the J:>eoplegoing out to him instead have seen (verse 2) that John's
of his going to the people.
chief theme was repentance, and
Prepare
ye the way.-The
ob- her!' we learn that those baptized hy
ject of John's mission was to pre- him confessed their sins. Repentpare the people for Jesus and for ance and confessiun of sins, then,
the subsequent preaching of the were the prerequisites to his hapapostles. (See Luke i. 17.) Here tism, and these Imply faith in what
this preparation is figurati"ely rel'- be preached.
The confession IDU~t
resented by the physical prepar'lr have been of a very general charaetion of a path by straig;htenin/! it, ter; for thr- hrief duration of .lohu's
and thus making the journey 0'1'1'1' it i ministry. and the vast numbers that
more rapid and less laborious.' he Lnptixed forbid the supposition
(Comp. Lnke iii. 4, 5.)
of a detailed confeasion of all the
4, his raiment.-.Tohn's
dress, sins of each individual.
a coarse fabric woven from camel's
hair, with a raw hide zirdle attached John: PreQrhin.'l anrl Ihe Christ
to it; and his food, consisting of the
Annnnnart,7-12.
(Mark i. 7,8;
Egyptian locust and wild honey,
Luke iii. 7-18.)
were so unusual that the Pharisees I
said he had ademon l 'fi. )8); but noth-I
7. Pharisees.Thf' term Pharing could be more appropriate than isee is derived from a Hebrew word
that he whose mission it was to call which means separated.
It repremen to repentance should himself Isent.~ a party among the Jews who
Ret an example of austere self-denial. were so called because of their ex5. went
out to him,-Not-l
treme care to keep themselves sep

iii. 7.]

MATIHEW.

come to his baptism, he said pers, who hath warned you to

unto them, 0 generation of vi- flee from the wrath to come 1
arated from all persons and things Acts xs iii, 8; Josephus, Ant. xviii.
which were lel;ally unclean. The 1: 4; Wars. ii. 8: 14.)
sect originated III the early part of
come to his baptism.-Many
the interval between the close of the understand these words as meaning
Old Testament history and the birth that the Pharisees and Sadducees
of Jesus, but at what exact time is I came to be baptized by .Iohn. His
not now known. The fundamental I question, ",rh(j hath warned you
peculiarity of their system was he- to flee from the wrath to come,"
lief in the traditions of the elders, naturally sll~ests this meaning.
which they understood to consist in But we are expressly informed that
laws and ree;ulations orally trans- the Pharisees rejected .Iohn's barmitted from Mosca and the proph- tism (Matt. xxi. 25-27; Luke vii,
ets. On account of the supposition 30), and the argument whioh John
that these traditions originated with employs below (verse 9) implies that
inspired men, they were regarded they were trusting in the fact of heRB equal in authority with the writ- ing Abraham's
children, and that,
ten word. (See xv. 1-9.) The consequently, they denied a necesPharisees lived nbstemiously, he- sity for either the baptism or the
lieved in the resurrection of the repentance which John preached.
dead, and had almost unbounded in- Moreover, the question whioh he
fiuence with the masses of the peo- put to them is susceptible of an
pIe. For further details in refer- easy interpretation
III
harmony
ence to their history and doctrine, with these facts. Seeing that they
see Josephus, Ant. xii. 9: 5; 10: 5; affected to despise John and to IItxviii. 1: " 4; Wars. ii. 8: 14; terly disregard his warnings, it was
Smith's Dictionary; and the passages not expected that they would go
of the New Testament in which they near to his place of baptizing; hut
are mentioned. .
they came, and, by coming, indio
Sadducees,-The
Sadducees de- cated that they felt some of the
rind their name, according to Jew- alarm which had been f!:eneraJly
ish tradition, from one Zadok, the awakened by his preaching.
By
founder of their sect. It is ingen- demanding," Who hath warned YOI\
iously ar~ued, however, by a writer to flee from the wrath to come? '.
in Smith s Dictionary, that this tra- John taunts them with the fact
-iition is incorrect, and that the that they were alarmed, and that
name was taken from that Zadok his preaching had alarmed them.
who was high priest under Solomon. Luke's report of this speech repreHi8 descendants were called "sons sents it 88 being addressed to" the
QfZadok" (Ezek. xl. 40; xlviii. 11), multitude" (iii. 7), but Matthew's
from which expression the term more specific language points out
Zadokites or Sadducees, as it the particular portion of the mulcomes to us through the Greek, titude for whom it was intended.
might very readily be formed. They
generation
of vipers, -.M ore
were diametrically opposed to the correctly rendered (1)'sprillg or
Pharisees, rejecting the authority brood of vipers. This expression
of oral tradition, living a luxurious emphasizes the :ruile and malice of
life, and denying the resurrection these men, and shows that they had
of the dead and the existence of no good motive in coming to the
4Ill!;cleand spirits. (Matt. xxii. 23; huntiam.

MATfHEW.

36

forth therefore
I fruits:
for repentance.
eAnd
think not to say within yourselves,
'Ve have A'braham
to
our father:
for I say unto you,
that God is able of these stones
Bring

fruit

I meet

[iii. 8-10.

to raise up children unto A'braham. 10 And now [also] the axe

is laid unto the root of the trees:
therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn
down, and cast into the fire. 11 I

8 .ca.P1rOtlf Rec. ,lCa.pn-bv Lach., Tisch" T.

10 ~". R~
Omitted by Lach .. Tisch.
8. Green. Alford. Tregelle ..
T. S. Green. Alford, 'I regelles, x , B, C. )I.
t., etc Coptic. bahidic. etc.

8. fruits meet for repentance.-In

this expression men are
represented as trees, and the change
of conduct brought about by repentance as fruit which they should:
bring forth. It probably suggested
to John the allegorv or' vel'. 10, below.
9. We have Abraham.-It
was
thought by all of the -Iews that the'
Messiah's kingdom would bc a king.
dom over the Jews as a nation, and
that all Jews would be citizens of
it. They relied, therefore, for their
admittance into the kingdom, on the
mere fact that they were Abraham's
children. It was this thought which
led Nicodemus, after hearing Jesus
declare that" except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he can
not outer into the kingdom of God,"
to exclaim, "How can these things
be?"
(vlohn iii. 9.)
of these stones.-The
point in
this remark is to show that it is the
mere creative power of God that
makes men children of Abraham,
and that, therefore, there is no spiro
itual virtue in the connection.
10. the axe is laid.-Return
ing now to the metaphor of fruit
trees. which he had introduced before (verse 8), .lohn employs a brief
allegory in which his hearers are
compared to trees in an orchard.
An axe lies at the root of every
tree which has not hitherto brought
forth fruit, in readiness for the
woodman to cut it down if fruit
shall not soon appear.
Thus he
insists on the personal responaibility of every man, without regard
to ancestry.

11. I indeed.-John
advances
from the warning contained in his
allegory to the announcement of
him who would inflict the punish.
ment therein indicated. H prCo
sents the Coming One. first, as contrusted with himself in reference to
the baptism he would administer;
and, second, as a judge who would
separate the righteous from the
wicked as a husbandman separates
his wheat from the chaff
with water.-The
Greek preposition (;'v) here translated uriih
primarily means ill, und should be
RO
translated in all instances. except where the context or the nature of the CU8eforbids. It must
be admitted hy all that there is
nothin$ in trns context to exclude
its ordinary meaning. unless it be
the use of the same preposition with
the terms Holy Spirit and,fire. But
the apostles were certainly baptized in the Holy Spirit; * and it IS
equally certain that the wicked will
be baptized in fire. (See below.)
The immediate context, then, instead of forbidding the ordinary
sense of the preposition, requires
it. The remoter context has the
same force, for it had just been
said that the people were baptized
by John in the Jordan; and there
it is impossible to render the preposition by with. Baptized" with
the .Iordan " would be absurd.
unto repentance.-The
rendering, "I baptize you unto repent Sell the author's
il. 1-4.

Commentary

on '\l't8

iii. 11.]

:\lATTHEW.

3.,

indeed baptize you with water cometh after me ill mightier than
unto repentance:
but he that I, whose shoes I am not worthy
ance," implies that the baptism party baptized. To 80 understand
brought them to repentance.
But It would be to encounter the diffisuch is not the fact in the case, culty first mentioned above. But
for John required repentance as u a baptism which required repentprerequisite to baptism, and it is ance as a prerequisite would have
rather true that repentance bruuzht a tendency to cause those yet unthem to baptism.
If we ad~\'t baptized to repent, in order that
the rendering, .. into repentance," they might receive the baptism and
which is more literal, we are in- enjoy its blessings. Prizes in schools
volved in a worse difficulty; for, if are given in order to good behavior
baptism did not bring the baptized and good recitations, although the
unto repentance, it certainly did good recitations and the good benot bring them into it. Again, if havior must precede the recepto avoid these two difficulties we tion of the prizes, Promotions III
suppose the term repentance to be the a"my are ill order to the enused by metonymy for the state of couragement of obedience and vnlone who has repented, we encoun- or, although these qualities of the
ter another difficultv not less Sf'- good soldier must appear before
rioue ; for the state (;f one who has promotion can take place. In the
repented is entered, not IJY heinz same way was .John s baptism in
baptized, but by repenting,
FinllF- order to repentance,
The inestily. to assume, as Borne have done, mable blessing of remission of sins
that the preposition has the sense being attached to baptism (see Mark
of becau.<e of, is to seck escape i. 4; Luke iii. 3), the desire to obfrom a difficulty by attaching to a tain this blessing would prompt
word a meaning which it never those yet unlmptized to repent. so
bears.
The preposition (,,~) is that they might be baptized. The
never used to express the idea that words declare simplv that the genone thing is done because of anoth- eral purpose of .lohns baptism wruo
er having heen done. Neither, in- to l))"lngthe people to rf>pentance.
deed, would it be true that .John
with the Holy Spint.-In the
baptized persons because of their Holy Spir-it, (See first note on
repentance; for, while it is true this verse.) The prediction here
that repentance did precede the made that the Ctlming One would
baptism. it was not because of this buptiz in the Holy >'pirit. bl'gan to
that they were baptized: but bap- he fulfilled on the dav of Pentecost.
tism had its own specific ohject, (Comp. Acts i. 5: ii. -4) But .John
and because of this object it was speaks as if the baptism in the Holy
administered.
The phrase under Spirit was to be as general under
consideration has nnother moaning Christ as baptism in water was
which. thouuh somewhat ohscure under his own ministry. ~Oln('have
as rt'gards i~ connection with thc inferred from this timt all of the
facts, is very naturally expressed hy : subjects of Christ's kingdom were
the words themselves
The prepn- ttl he baptized in the Holy tlpirit;
sition is often expressive of p'ur- and another reason for the same
pose, and the phrase may be prop- conclusion is the fad that the baperly r andered "in order to repent- tism in the Holy ~pirit and that III
ance." The baptism was not in fire seem to include all men; the
order to the repentance of the latter, all the wicked; the former

38

MATTHEW.

[iii. 11.

to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with
fire to the cloven tongues which sat
upon the apostles wHen they were
baptized in the Holy Spirit. Alford
affirms, "This was literall~ fulfilled
on the day of Pentecost: , and, in
opposition to the more usual interpretation which refers it to the final
punishment of the wicked, he says:
"To separate 'the Holy Spirit' as
referring to one set of persons and
'fire' as belonging to another, when
both are united III 'you,' is in the
last degree harsh, besides introduoing confusion into the whole." A.
to the literal fulfillment on Pentecost, the learned author seems to
have forgotten that it was not literal
fire which sat on the apostles, but
"cloven tongues like as of fire"
(Acts ii. 2); and that, even if these
ton~ues had been actual fire, their
sittmg on the heads of the apostles
could not have constituted a baptism
of the apostles in fire. As regurda
the separation of the persons addressed into two parties, we see no
difficult>" for such a division is
clearly indicated in the context- In
the preceding verse John uses the
fruitful trees for good men and the
unfruitful for bad men; and in the
following verse he uses the wheat
and the chaff in the same way. It
is not at all harsh, then, to understand him as keeping up the distinction in the intermediate verse, and
as using the term you to comprehend both classes. The term you,
indeed, must be understood indefinitely, because the parties he was
addressing had not been baptized,
and he could not sav to them in the
strict sense of the pronoun, "I baptize you." The term is used indefinitely for the people at large. Finally, in both of the connected sentences, the termfire is connected with
the fate of the wicked, lind used as
Bee the recent work of Dr. Robert RiehThe unard>oon,entitled, The omee of the Holy the symbol of punishment.
fruitful trees are to be burned with
hint.'
all the righteous.
But a prediction
is best understood in the light of
its fulfillment; and it is 11 fact that
the apostles on Pentecost, and the
household of Cornelius, are the only
persons said in the New Testament
to have received this baptism.
(See
Ach i. 5; ii. 4; xi. 15, 16.) True,
others, by imposition of apostolic
hands, received miraculous gifts of
the Spirit, and we would be justifiable in regarding these as instances
of baptism in the Spirit if they were
precisely like the two so called.
But between these two and all others there is at least this remarkable
difference, that in these two the
Spirit came directly from Christ
without human intervention, while
in all others it was imparted through
human hands. While the baptism
in the Spirit, then, was actually confined to these two groups of persons,
the benefits resulting from it extended to all. The benefit of this
baptism in the house of Cornelius
was the admission of all Gentile
converts into the church on an
equality with the Jews; and the
benefit of that on Pentecost was to
extend the blessed fruits of plenary
inspiration
to all disciples, both
Jews and Gentiles.
These considerations are sufficient to account for
the general terms of .Iohn's prediction.
Some have supposed that the baptism in the Spirit is not confined to
those who received miraculous gifts,
but is enjoyed by all who receive
the Holy Spirit at al1.* This hypothesis, which I am not prepared
to adopt, would very satisfactorily
explain John's language.
with fire.-A few eminent commontators refer the expression in

iii. 12-16.]

MATTHEW.

fire: 12 w hose fan IS III his hand,

and he will thoroughly purge his
floor, and gather his wheat into
the garner;
but he will burn np
the chaff' with unquenchable
fire.
1a Then
cometh
Jesus
from
Gal'ilee to Jor'dan unto John,
to be baptized of him.
U But
J ohn forbade
him, saying,
I

39

have need to be baptized

of
thee, and eomest thou to me?
1& And
Jeans
answering
said
unto him, Sufferer
it to be 80
now: for thus it becometh us to
fulfill all righteousness.
Then
he suffered him.
18 And
Jesus,
when he was baptized, went up
straightway
out of the water:

lire, and the chaff is to be burned It was the beginning of his publio
with "un'luenchahle
lire;" it is, career.
14. John forbade him.--John's
then, "in the laat degree harsh" to
understand
it differently in this objection to baptizing Jesus shows
sentence.
It is clearly the wicked clearly that he believed him to be
who are t Ill! baptized in fire, and the Commg One whom he had prethe fulfilhucut of the prediction will dicted, although he had not witbe reulized when they are cast into nessed the final proof of this fact,
which was the descent of the Holy
the lake of fin'. (Rev. xx. 15.)
12. whose fan.- The term render- Spirit on him after his baptism,
(John i. 33,34.) The baptism which
ed [a (" .vov ) mean' a winllowing
hoccl, and is rendered (all because he needed from Jesus was evidently
the modern implement' for separat- that in the Holy Spirit.
in~ the ~rain from the chaff is so
15. thus it becometh
us.-ln
called. The ancients, after the grain his rerly Jesus acknowledges some
By the
was trodden out on the threshing- force 1D John's objection.
floor by oxen, winnowed it by tOBS- term /lUW, "suffer it to be 80 now,"
ing it repeatedly into the air with a he intimates that the appearance of
large wooden shovel until the wind inferiority to .Iohn was to be hut
The specific reason for
blew awav all the chaff. This was temporary.
called d~aning the floor; that is, which he submitted to lJ'lJ,tism is
the threshing-floor.
The world is then given. Baptism had two ashere represented
by It threshing- pects: it was an act in connection
floor; its mingled
population of with which remission of sins took
saints and sinners, bv the chaff and place, and it was an act of obedience
grain covering the door; the work to 0. positive command of Gud. In
of Christ, by that of It farmer who its latter aspect it was incum bent on
cleans up tI;e floor with his winnow- Jesus as It .Iew, though he needed
in!! shovel: the salvation of the not the promised remission of sins.
righteous, by gathering the wheat H he had neglected it he w..u ld have
into th i!arner; and the punishment fallen thus far short of perfect rightof the wicked, by burning up the eousness, and this defect would have
clung to him to the end of life.
chaff.
What is true of Jesus in this particJesus Baptized, 13-17. (Mark i. ular is certainl,y true of other men;
9-11; Luke iii. 21, 22.)
so that even If W(' could in our
13. from Galilee.-The
depart- thoughts divest baptism of' its conure of .Iesus from Galilct' to the .Jor- nection with remission <of sins,
dan for the purpose of being bap- it would still be all act of bedience
tized by John. is the first voluntary the neglect of which would lH' a sin.
16. out of the water.-The
act of his life recorded by Matthew.

40

MATTHEW.

[iii. 16, 17.

and, 10, the heavens were opened

unto him, and he saw the Spirit
of God descending
like a dove,
and lighting
upon him: ITand

10 a voice from heaven, saying,

This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased.
IV. I Then was J e'sus led up

llreposition here rendered out of

(<ina) meallsfro7n.
It is frequently
used where the motion is out of, e. g.,
Matt. ii 1 j iii. 13; vii 4 j xii. 43 j
xiii, I j xiv. 13, 29 j but in such cases
it is from the circumstances and not
from the preposition alone that this
fact is ascertained.
It here designates the departure from the water
after he had come out of it, and
should be rendered jj-om.
In Mark,
according to the corrected Greek
text, we have rz, and the parallel
there is correctly rendered" coming
up out of the water."
(Mark i.
10.)
he saw the Spirit.-The
statemen, that he saw thr- Spirit descending, which is also the language of
Mark (i. 10), has been taken by some
as implying that the ~pirit WI\.8 invisible to the multitude.
nut we
know from John's narrative that it
was also seen by John the Baptist
(John i. 3:1,34): and if it was visible
to him and to Jesus, and if it descended, as Luke affirms. in a bodil'y
shape like a dove (Luke iii. 22), It
wouid have required a miracle to
bide it from the multitude.
Moreover, the object of the Spit-it's visible
appearance was to point Jesus out,
not to himself, but to others; and to
point him out as the person concernIIlg whom the voice from heaven was
uttered
XO doubt, then, the Spirit
waR vi-cihlo and the voice audible to
,,11 who were present.
17. a voice from heaven.-The
voice from heaven gave expression
to two distinct thoughts: First, That
Jeeus was (ffid'e beloved 80n; Second, That in him-that
is, in him
&8 entering
now on the work of human redemption -God
was weIll
pleased.
It ~ave a pledge that the

mediatorial work of Christ would

be accepted on the part of God.
ARGUMENT OP SECTION 4

In this section Matthew presents

two more proofs of the claims of
Jesus. He shows, first, that he W&l
attested by John, himself a prophet,
as the one mightier than himself
who should baptize in tile Holy
Spirit and in fire-which WI18 equivalent to declaring him the Mesaiah.
Second, he shows that Jesus was
declared both bl the Father and
by the Holy Spirit to be the Son
of God-the
Father uttering the
words, and the Holy Spirit pointinz out the person. Thus agnin,
in "'a single section of his narrative,
our author exhibits both the Messi
nhship and the Sonship of Jesus.
SECTION

V.

THB TEMPTATION
OP .lESCS,IV. 1-11
Preparation, 1)..2; First Ternptatlon,
8.4; Hecond Temptation, 6-7; Tblro
Tern ptat ron , 8-U.

f
Preparation, 1,2. (1\ ark i. 12, 13 j
Luke iv. 1,2.)
1. led up.-The
statement that
Jesus was led up by the 8pirit to
be tempted shows that he was Bubjected to temptation in accordance
with a deliberate purpose, hut a
purpose not his own. Mark uses
the more forcible expression, "the
Spirit drireth him into the wilderness.
It is an example, then, not
of voluntary entrance into temptation, but of being divinely led into
it for a special divine purpose. The
traditionary supposition that the wil-

iv. 1-4.]

MATTHEW.

of the Spirit into the wilderness

to be tempted of the devil. t And
when he had fasted forty days
and forty nights, he WaB afterward an hungred.
derness into which he was led was
the rugged mountainous region back
of JerdlO, is altogether probable.
2. when he had fasted.-The
fast of forty days was intended, at
least in part, to excite the intense
hunger which Satan tried to take
advantaze of in the first temptation.
That" he was afteruiard
hungered" implies that his appetite was miraculously suspended
during the forty davs. There are
two types of this (ast in the Old
Testament-s-the fast of Moses (Ex.
xxxiv. 28), and that of Elijah (I Ks.
xix. 1-8).

41

And when the tempter came

to him, he said, If thou be the
Son of God, command that these
stones be made bread. 'But he
answered and said, It is written,

be the Son of God," to excite in Jesus another desire-that

of rebuking the doubt which these words imply. It is impossible that a fleshly
appetite more intense could be exCIted, or one in the gratification of
I which we would realize so little susI picion of evil. A good motive for the
proposed act is suggested, and the sinfulness of it is so skillfully disguised,
that few persons even to this day
are able to detect it. It would be
difficult, therefore, if not impossible, to conceive of a stronger temptation. It is one which no merely
human being could resist.
4. he answered.e-As soon M
First Temptation, 3, 4. (Luke iv. the suggestion of Satan was made
3,4.)
the mind of Jesus reverted to the
Before we can properly estimate Dcrirtures and rested on the words
the temptation of Jesus we must fix of ~ oses : "Man shall not live by
a standard by which to judge of the bread alone, but by every word that
force of temptations.
All tempts- {lroceeds out of the mouth of God."
tion results from-the excitement of (Deut, viii. 3.) Israel had been led
some lust or desire.
(Jas i. 14.) by God into the wilderness, where
"he more intense the desire ex- there was no bread; had been
cited. other things being equal, the subjected to intense hunger there,
greater the temptation. Human ex- and had then been fed by bread
perieuce teaches, also, that, other from heaven. Moaes explains that
thin~s being equal, the more cun- this was to teach them that "man
nin~ly the ainfulness of a wrong shall not live by bread alone, but
act i~ disguised, the more easily by every word that proceeds out of
are we induced to commit it. Ev- the mouth of God "-that
is, by evidently. then, the force of a temp- ery means which God may appoint.
tation is til be estimated by consid- Jesus finds in this a precedent for
ering the degree of desire excited himself. He, too, had been led by
and the skill with which the sin- God into a wilderness where there
fulness of the proposed act is dis- was no bread, and he was now
guised
When these two circum- suffering frOID consequent hunger.
stances exi--t in the highest degree The dutv of Israel is now his duty,
we have the strongest temptation.
for hi~ clrcumstanees ate like theirs.
3. If thou be the Son of Goa.- They sinned by murmuring against
In addition to the desire for fOod,/ Moses, and by proposing to seek
resulting frum a forty days' fast, bread in their own way-that
is
datan seeks by the words, If thou by returning into Egypt. (Ex. xv(

MATTHEW.
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
l Then the devil taketh him up
into the holy city, and setteth
him on a pinnacle of the temple, I and saith unto him, If

[iv. f>-7.

thou be the son of God, cast

thyself down: for it is written,
He shall give his angels charge
concerning thee: and in their
hands they shall bear thee up,
lest at any time thou dash thy
foot against a stone. T Je'sus

temptation, like the first, was addressed to the feeling u ppermost

in the mind of Jesus.
Wl.ile gazing down from a dizzy height the
idea of a fall and its consequences
instinctively
possessed him. The
suggestion of the tempter is supported by the written promise of
God that .1esus shall not be allbwed
Second Temptation, 5-7. (Luke iv. even to strike his foot against a
9-12.)
stone, much less to be dashed to
" th
d '1 t k th hi
I {lieces by a fall like this, No in.o.
e eV1 !l e
1m - n , Jury, then, can result from the atwhat way the devil removed Jesus Itt
ij'h . th ~
fG d
d
fl'
ild
h
I
emp 1 e 18 e oon 0
0;
an
. rum t Ie WI erne~s to t e temp. e this if, as in the former instance,
I" ~"t stated, a~d It woul? be Yam contributed to the force of the tempto In YU ire. It IS a question of no tation. Moreover, some !!ood might
pruct.icul .value.
result from the act. It would show
on a .pmnac1e.-'.I'he
word tra~s- how completely he trusted in" thl'
lated ]Jlltl~a('le
(~""P"'YOv) means lit- promise of God. and it would conerall,)' a little Wlll[J. Its force as an vince the .Iews that he was under
ardJltect~ral term does not enable us special divine protection.
E, ery
~odetermine what part of the temple consideration seemed to be in faIR meant.
But the context shows
0
f . ki ,the leap , -ept the
hat j
t
hi h th
v r xn ma nl-ex e
t at It w:u' a porn so Ig
a~ a fear of personal injury, and this
fal.1from It would be fatal; and With consideration
must be rejected M
th is the south-east corner of the indicating distrust of God.
oll.ter. wall around t?e te~ple best
7. Jesus said.-.JesuH
arried
coincides.
FrOID this pOInt to tIl(' I'
k
f 1
d
P
\I
f th K d
b I
.
id t lIH stro e 0 t ie a versarv, not,
va ey 0
e e ron e ow IS sru as some have aince done f,;r him.
by Jose~)h.us. to have been about fiOO I by objecting to the accuracy of
fe;t. 1Ills IS doubtless a~ exa!!f(cr- Satan's quotation; nor by der;ving
atron, but recent explorations have that the promise referred to him.
proved that the de~cent ,,:as once self; nor by making a subtle dismuch ;.!:eater than It now IS. The tinction in reference to the" ways"
f<:unclatlOns of the wall are nearly, mentioned in the quotation;
hut
ninety feet below t~e present "ur-" by remernber ing that the promise
face of the ground.
'I' 'quoted is modified by the precept,
6. cast thyself
down.-1 us ! ., Thou ~lUllt not tl'mpt the Lord thy
God." .The word rendered tetn p]
':-'ee "Our Work in Palestf.ne." a vol- (f(ELpal1w) mean.
tv put tv proof,
arne put forth by. the Committee of the), whether for a ,mod or 8 bad purPalestine Exploration Fund In Great Brf tUTh'"
d
. h
C
101"1, pp. 119. 1:10.
oose. n en use Wit rererenee

1-9.) He will commit a similar sin

if, distrustful of God, he seeks to
turn stones into bread.
They were
taught to rely upon the God who
had brought them into trouble to
deliver them from it. This, now,
is his duty, and he accepts the
precedent as his guide.

--

----

I'

iv.8-10.]

MATTHEW.

said unto him,

It is written
again, Thou shalt not tempt
the Lord thy God.
Again, the devil taketh him up
into an exceeding high mountain,
and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the

glory of them j and saith UDto him, All these things will I
give thee, if thou wilt fall down
and worship n;e.
10 Then
saith
Jesus unto him, Get thee hence,
Satan:
for it is written, Thou
shalt worship the Lord thy God,

to enticement to sin it is properly

rendered tempt; but when it refers
to God putting men to proof, or
men putting God to proof, test is
the best rendering.
The answer
of Jesus is as if he had said:
True, these words are written;
they are applicable to me and to
all good men, and they will be fulfilled in their season; but to throw
one's self into unnecessary danger
because of these words would be
merely testing God in reference to
his promise, and this we are forbidden to do.

and had not by this consent lost the

power and WIsdom which belonged
to him, he could have attained in a
short time to universal dominion.
The expectation of the .Jews that
their Messiah would assume this
very position, and a vague expeotation which 'pervaded the most intelligent natlOns of the heatllen
world, that some grellt hero and
conqueror was about. to appear,
would have been ready instruments
in Satan's hands for fulfilling hi!
promise.
.
For success in this, the final
struggle, Satan depended sole-ly on
the intensity of the desire which
he expected to excite. With no
attempt to disguise the sin, there
was b bold offer of the grandest
prize which had ever dazzled the
eyes of ambition.
The doubting
if-" if thou art the Son of God "is also omitted, for it would have
militated against the purpose of the
tempter to remind Jesus of his SonI ship in the very act of enticing him
to worship Satan.
10. Then saith Jesus,-Satan
estimated so highly the force of thia
temptation that he relied on it f01
overcoming one who had resisted
all of his previous efforts. It WWl,
in his own estimation, the most
powerful temptation which he could
employ; but so void of ambition
was the spirit of Jesus that it excited in him only disgust. "Get
thee hence, Satan," is his first exclamation ; and the next, the well
remembered command, "Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him
only shalt thou serve."
.

Third Temptation, 8-11. (Luke iv.

5--8.)
8. sheweth him all the kingdoms,-lf
all the kingdoms of the
world and the glory of them were
presented visibly to Jesus, Satan
must have exerted supernatural
power; if they were presented only
to his mental vision, it might have
been accomplished by a vivid description such as Satan is capable
of, aided by the excited imagination
of Jesus as he looked abroad from
the top of the "exceeding high
mountain."
Which of these methods was adopted the text does not
determine.
9. will I give thee,-Satan's
promise to give Jesus the kingdom,
when considered in connection with
the capacities of Jesus himself, involves no very arrogant assumption
of power. The promise implied, of
oourae, that Jesus muat unite his
own efforts with Satan's in seeking
to obtain the 'p'rize; and it is quite
-.rlain that if he had consented,

MATTHEW.
and him only shalt thou serve.

III

[iv.1].

Then the devil leaveth him.

11. the devil leaveth him.- hering to the same lesson, was fed
Satan now leaves .Iesus-c-" for a sea- I at last, not l,y turning stones into
80n." as Luke adds-because
he had ! bread, but by receiving bread from
exhau-ted his power. '1'he Apestle the hands of angels. At the same
John distr-ibutes the lusts through I time the promise, " He will give hi,
which we may be tempted into' fLllgels charge concerning thee,"
three classes, viz : The lust of the I which had been quoted by Satan
flesh, the lu-st of the eye, and the i in tempting him, is now fulfilled
pride of life. (I .lolm ii. 16) Of to him, and this without putting
all the lusts of the flesh, the one God to the test in reference to it.
most u-sually gratified without sin,
ARGUlIE:;'T OF SEOTION 5.
and tho one most imperative in its
demands. i~ hunger
t'atan had
In this section .Iesus is presented
tried .lc-us by means of this under as overcoming temptations by which
circumstances tbe most favurul.le to all merely human beings have been
success, and had failed. His next overcome.
The unexpressed conapp-ul was to the lust of th eye, elusion is, that Jesus must be more
or the love of display.
To this pas- than human. The story of his tempsion he could not hope to address tation is an argument for his divino
himself more plausibly then he had I ity.
on the pinnacle of the temple, To I Rut besides this, ~1nttllPW accomthe pride of life," or worldly am- plishes two other important JlUrbition, he had just made the strollO'- poses in this section. He exhibits
est appeal in the bounds of possibiJ. first the skill of Satan. This is seen
ity, and had met with worse than both in his rerfect adaptation of
defeat. Having, then, addressed to each propoha to the feeling which
each class of lusts the temptation was at the moment uppermost, or
best of all calculated to succeed, he supposed to be uppermost, in the
retires, baffled and disappointed, to mind of Jesus; and in the selection
devise some new and different mode for thi~ attl'mpt of him on whose
of attack.
We shall find him here- resistance depended the salvation
after returning to the contlict in the of the world. Twice has the deepersons of hostile Pharisees and un- tiny of the world been suspended
faithful disciples.
on the action of a single person,
angels came.-rt seems that the and each of these was made an obhunger which was tormenting Jesus jcct of especial temptation by our
at the beginning of his temptation cunning adversary. The first Allam
was not yet appeasod.
As soon as fell, and the race fell with him The
Satan left him, angels came and second Adam defeated Sutan und reministered to him, supplying his deemed the race from tl.e efii,cts of
physical wants. The suffering pre- the fall. Secondly, our author ghOW8
ceded the refreshment;
the strug- us in this section how Sntan can be
gle with Satan preceded the enjoy- resisted . Jesus achieved his yictory
mont of angel company.
::;0 with i by familiarity with the word of God,
his followers. The coming of rhe I coupled with unhesitating
acceptangels also completed the parallel I ance of even the gli!:\.~te~t indiesbetween himself and Israel in the I tions of U"d's will
l\o man can
wilderness,
As they learned by the resist, as he did, w .t.l.uut his reverfalling of the manna that man shall I ence for God's will and his acquaint,ot live by bread alone, 80 he, ad- unce with God' 8 word
A~ we IL~

iv. 11.]

MATTHEW.

4b

and, behold, angels came and I ministered unto him.

proach him in these two particulars
we will approach him in his perfect
resistance to the temptations
of the
devil.
HISTORICALCHARACTEROF SECTIOX5.

In discussing the foregoing section r have purposely

omitted the
questions. whether Satan appeared.
visibly and spoke audibly to .lesus,
whether any part of the account is
merelv symbolical, and many other
que8tfons more curious than profitable which have heen discussed by
other writers.
For a brief statement of these que8tion~, the various
theories to winch they have given
rise, and the various works in which
these theories
are defended,
see
Lange (Commentary
on Matthew
iv. 3), who iN not himself free from
the supposition
that the account is
partly symbolical.
It must be admitted by every candid reader that:
Matthew supposed himself, throughout this account, to be describing
a
real transaction
precisely as it occurred
It is evident also. from the
nature of the case, that he must
have obtained his conception of the
facts from an account given by Jesus himself
If, then. the account
ia nut to be understood
literally,

Matthew was deceived,

and Jesus
deceived him.
The deception, too,
is one that remained after the plenary inspiration
of the apostles had
taken place, and wus not one of
those misconceptions
of the MUBter's words which characterized
the
disciplca during his personal ministry, and passed away when they
became
fully inspired.
Anv hvI pothesis which involves ~ucli coil'
sequences has in it the "eeds of infidelity. and must he rejected I,y all
who believe in the inspiration
of
the apostles
If ~[atthew is to he
credited in reference to other e ents
of which he was not an eye-witne811,
he is to be credited in reference to
this.
And, after all. if we admit
any thing at all supernatural
in the
career of .Iesus, there is no difhculty
in admitting
the reality of this entire a('('ount
The absurdities
aNI
contradictions
in which the ablt>,'
men are involv ed when they dell)
the reality of the account. and invent hypotheses
of their own CODcerning the transaction.
can be seen
by the reader if he will but /!:Iance
over Lange's
note above referred
to; and they constitute
no mean
proof of the wisdom of those who
humbly and unquestioningly
accept
the inspired narrative as we find It.

PART
MINISTRY

SECOND.

OF JESUS IN GALILEE.

CHAPTERS

IV. 12-XVIII.

35.

Sow when [Je'sus] had heard dwelt in Caper'naum, which is

that John was cast into prison, upon the sea coast, in the bordhe departed into Gal'ilee; 13 and ers ofZab'ulon and Neph'thalirn :
leaving K az'areth, he came and 1< that it might be fulfilled which
12. 'I~<To;;< Ree, Omitted by Tisch., T
was spoken by Esa'ias
the
8. Green, Alford, Tregelles.
prophet, saying, 16 The laud of
8ECTION I.
INTROD[;CTORY STATEMENTS.
Rernoval to Gul ilee, and Theme of his
Pi each mg, 12-17; Call of the FIshermen. 1!>-2~; General
Circuit of Galilee, 23-25.

thew.

43.)

(See

John

i. 29, 32; iv. 1-4,

13. and leaving

Nazareth.-

The remark about leaving Nasareth

implies that Jesus, on returning
into
Galilee, first came to Xazareth,
but
that, for some reason not given by
Matthew,
he changed
h is place of
Removal to Galilee and Theme of
residence.
'I'h rea-on i" gi' en IIy
Ins Preaching, 12-17. (Mark i.
Luke in iv. 16-31; I~ pa~"tgl'
in
14, 15; Luke iv. 14-32; John
Luke, which,
notwithstandiuz
the
iv )
opinions of some em inr-n t writers, ,
am constrained
to regard n~parallel
12. when Jesus had heard.The text here introduces
the re- to this.
Capernaum,
the place to
moval of Jesus
into Galilee
next which .lesus now removes, W!\8 the.
after the account of his temptation,
most important
city in Gulilco, and
and fixes the time of it as immediwas situated
on the north-western
shore of th p lake of Galilee. Scareel v
ately after Jesus
heard of John's
a vestijre of it can now be found.

imprisonment.
We are not to infer,
however, that the imprisonment
of
14, 15. beyond Jordan=-Tbe
John and the removal of .JCSU8 oc- lands of ZpLulon and Xuphthuli. hpre
as " bevond .lordun," were
curred immediately
after the temp- described
tation;
for .Ioh n' narrntive
clearly
west of th .lordnn, and l suiuh, who
shows that all of the events of his wrote these words in .leru-ulem, WM
first three chapters
occurred
in the on the sume sid of the river
The
interval, and that tilt' events of his expression"
Leyond .Iordun." therefourth
chapter
occurred
on the fore, has not here its usual -ense f
journey
into Galilee, which is here
on the other side of Jordan, hut
mentioned.
ln other words, if the must mean beyond the .",/11 ce of the
first three chapters
of John were to Jordan.
The southern
end of the
be inserted
chronologically
in Mat- lake of Galilee was the immediate
and &
thew's narrative,
they would come source of the lower Jordan.
in between the eleventh and twelfth
part of Z .hulon 11IId the whole of
verses of the fourth chapter of Mat- Naphthali
were bev"ud th is point

(46\

iv 16-22.J

MAITHEW

47

Zab'uloll, and the land of Neph'- Si'mon called Pe'ter, and An'thalim, by the \\ay of the sea, drew his brother, casting a net
beyond Jor'dan, Gal'ilee of the into the sea: for they "ere fishGen'ules ; lethe people which sat ers. IgAnd he saith unto them,
in darkness sa" great hght ; and Follow me, and I will make you
to them" hich sat m the regIOll fishers of men. '" And they
and shadow of death light is straightway left their nets, and
sprung up. 17 From that time followed him. 21And gOlllg on
Je'suB began to preach, and to frum thence, he ~,l\\ other two
say, Repent : for the kmgdom illicthren, James the son of Zeb'of heaven IS at hand
I edee, and John Ius brother, m 8
18Alld [Je'sus] walking by the i ship with Zeb'edee their father,
sea of Gal'tlee, saw two brethren, mending
their nets ; awl he
called them. 12 And ttu.y imJR. I~u.v. Rec
Omitted
by Lach
mediately left the slnp and their
1'IlK-h,T b Green,Alford,lregelles
father, and follo\\ cd 111111.
Gahlee
of the Gtnhles
-The
lance
and to enforce it by announoname Gahlei was on!!;lIlally con fined 11Ilg the speedy approach of 11IqkIng
to a small distru.t III t~(' ti ibe of dom, though
III his later nnmstry
::o..aphth'lh
(.Josh x'( j)
In the other subjects
became more prom
days of Solomon It included twenty Impnt
A., we hav e remm ked before
msigmficaut
cltn'"
(1 KInf!:q IX III bpe'lklllg
of John 8 preaching
11-13)
It W'l" atterward
<''1.1< nded
thrs "as the theme bi st calculated
until It Included
all the lands of to prerare
the people for the recep;
Naphthah
Asher,
Zebulon,
and tion 0 the kmgdom "hen It shou d
ls=achar
It was called
by the be preached
by the apostles
(bee
prophet
"Galilee 01 the Gentiles,"
note on III 2)
because
In Ius d ly the population
"as largely mternuxed
WIth GenCall of the Frvh crmen.
18-22
tiles
and
corrupted
by GentIle
(Mark I 16-20, Luke v 4-11)
habits
16 saw great hght.-A
gff'.1t
20, 22. and followed
him=h.rht bl'l mgllig up 111 a dark place Matthew s nurranv e Iurrushes
no
ml,.;ht btly repre-cnt
an.Y ereat
sufficient rea-on w hy these four men
teacher or reformer,
but the lIght Iso promptly
followed JCbUb at his
hl re predicted
by the prophet 18 10- call
True It would he naturally
cated III the very land which wit- interred that they knew more of him
no-sed the cluef part of the mmistry
than the nnrratrve
dcclai (8 but we
01 Jesus and here no great hght but are dependent
on the other go~pel8
Je811" ever appeared
The enemies
for the details
We learn
from
of .le-u- them-elves
declared
that .John A first four chapterthat Peter
"out 01 Gahlee artseth no prophet"
and Andrew at least had been his
(John \II 52)
It IS certam
then,
discrples
for a considerable
len,!!th
that Isaiah's prediction was fulfilled,
of time, and from Luke that they
8.Il Matthew
affirms, III Jesus
had witnessed
some .t'lrtlmg
mrra
17. Repent:
for the kingdom.
cles Just
pre\ll U8 to their
call
-The
theme of Jesus III the begm- (Luke v 1-11)
This "a. their call
DIng was the same as that of John
not to be Ius drsciples
but to be hIS
He never ceased to preach repentconstant compamons
Their (all to

MATTHEW.

[iv.23-25.

-And [Je'sus] went about all and torments, [andl those which
Gal'ilce, teaching in their sylla- were possessed w itll devils, and
gogues, and preaching the gospel those which were lunatic, and
of the kingdom, and healing all those that had the palsy; and he
manner of sickness and all man- healed them. 26And there folner of disease among the people. lowed him great multitudes of
HAnd his fame went throughout people from Gal'ilee, and fromall Syr'ia: and they brought Decap'olis, ami from Jeru'salem,
unto him all sick people that I and froru ,Tudse'a, and from bewere taken with divers disease!' yond Jor'dan.
23;' '1'1"0;;. Ree
Omitted
Tisch., T. S. Grcen, Alford

by Lach ,

24
Ii Green,

<4'

R"" Omitted by Lacb.,

Allord, Tregell"".
i

T. S.

be apostles W[LS at a still later pe- times resulted in e'Cfulsion, and

riod. (See Luke vi 12-13.)
sometime, in the use 0' the scourg:e.
,(~ee x. 17; Luke iv 16-20, John llt.
Oeneral
Circnit of o.o.u-. 23-25'1,22: xii. 42; Acts x,iii 14-16.)
(Mark i. 35-39; tuke iv. 42-44)
24. 25. And his fame went,In these two versos we hav o a sum23. went about all Galilee.mary of the nur.ioles wrought by
This para;!raph contains a ;!pnpral : .le-us, and of the rtgions whence
stnu-mvnt of tlu- journey ing and la- the afHirted were brought to him, and
\'01'8(11'
.lesus in Galilee, the details of I whence the multitudes came who
which are given in subsequent chnp- flocked around him ~yria was the
ters. }t ~how~ that in t.h~course of country lying next north of Galilee.
these JO~ln:eyJngs he visited every I Decupolis lay south-east of the lake
part of (Inlilee.
101'Galilee, and was so called because
in their
synagogues.-The
I it included ten cities and thorr sub8ynagO)!ues were buildings erected: urbs
"B"yond Jordan"
means
for a species of public instruction I the region east of the Jordan called
which had originated since the close , by the Greeks and Romans Perea.
of Old Testament history
It arose I
from a felt necessity for a more gen-I
eral knowledzo of the law, and for I
ARGUMENT
OFSECTION
1.
such admonitions and exhortations
as would lead to a better observance
The facts of this(,seetion furnish
of it. The synagoguPh furuished another argument in favor of the
Iesus, and the apostles after him, I claims of Jesus
They show that
with a suitable place for public I his dwelling-place was that III which
teaching on the Sabbath. and with a the prophet Isaiah had predicted the
ready congregation. In them the appearance of a great hght, and that
law and the prophets were publicly he was such a light; that he WIl8 80
read in such portions as to include Igreat a light that some men left all
the whole of the Old Testament in things to follow him, and that multho course of the year. After the titudes came from all surrounding
reading. comments were made, and rezions to receive his blessinz and
exhortations delivered, A body of : to enjoy his instructron
No crearer
rulers, usually called elders, pr\l- I proof could be I!:i\'enthat he was the
sided over each synagogue, and a Il!:reat li~ht whose rising was prediscipline was enforced which some- I dieted by the prophet

MATTHEW.

v. 1-6.J

V. I And seeing the multitudes, he went up mto a mountain: and when he WIUI set, his
disciples came unto him:
sAnd
he opened his mouth, and taught
them, saying,
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for their's is the kingdom of
heaven.
SECTION 11
CHRIST'to DISCIPLES AND HIS MORAL

LAW, V.
BII:JUIO!( ON THB MOUNT.

Tbe BeatItudes,
1-12; RelatIon
or the
DIsciples to the Worldt 13-16; General
Statement
about the LaW of Moses,
17-20' The Law against
Murder,21-26;
Tile
agatuet Adultery, r.-80; The
Law of Divorce. 31.32; The Law of
Oath.,83-37 ; The Law of Retaliation,
~;
The Law of Love, 48-48.

Law

The Beatitudes,"

1-12.

1.

when he was set.-Throughout the ministry of .Iesua we find a

remarkable absence of action and
attitude in the delivery of his public
addresses. The apoetles were not
regardlcss of these aids to oratory,
but Jesus usually delivered his addresses, as on the present occasion,
!n ~ sitting posture. (Comp. Luke
lV. _0; r. 3.)
2. the \loor in spirit.-By the
poor in spirit are meant those who
are sensible of spiritual destitution,
and who long for a better spiritual
state. The kingdom of heaven is
theirs because they are the class who
seek it, and who, when once admitted, abide in it.
5. the meek.-Meeknes8
is opposed to arrogance. The arrogant
graap after dominion and power;
but the meek will inherit the earth.

'*-t.

So called from ~,
l.&tIn ,.en!on for

the word In the

Blessed are the meek: for

they shall inherit the earth.
.' Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
'and

1\ tranllJlOlled.

Green, Tregell es,

Lach., TIach .. T. 8.

They will inherit it in two waye:

First, they shall enjoy it more
fully while in it j Second, they shall
finally. in the membership 6 a trio
umphant church, have possession
and control of it. Poeaibly, the
Savior alao alludes to the final p08sesaion by the saints of the new
earth.
4. they that moum.-Not
aU
that mourn-for"
the Borrow of the
world worketh death" t2 Cor. vii
lO)-but those who mourn in ret
erence to sin. "Thev shall be com
fortcd" because now there ill 1I.r.
ample provision made for pardon.
Perhaps we should also include in
the reference those righteous persons who mourn over the follies
and perversities of men, and who
sigh under the bereavements of
life; they shall be comforted lUI
Lazarus was when received into
Abraham'8 bosom.
6. hunger and thirst.-Hunger
and thirst being onr most imperious
appetites, to "hun~er and thirst after ri~hteousne88' is to feel the
most mtense desire to obtain it.
Under a heathen religion, and even
under Judaism, such a desire could
not be fully satisfied: but under the
rich provisions of the kingdom of
Christ it may be; and the promise
is that it shall be. (Comp. Rom.
viii. 3,4; Heb. vii. 11, 19,25.) Tho
promise is realized in part by the
actual attainment of a higher degree of righteous 1ivin~, and in
part by the perfect forglveneu of
our .ina.

bO

[v. 7-12.

MATIHEW.

, Blessed are the merciful: for

they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which
are
persecuted
for
righteousness'
sake: for their's is the kingdom
of heaven.

II Blessed
are ye, when men
shall revile you, and persecute
you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you [fidsel v] for
my sake.
11 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your
reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which
were before you.

7. the merciful.-Mercy,
strict1y defined, has reference to the for~iveness of uffenses ; and in this it
1S distinguished
from pity. The
merciful are blessed because they
shall obtain mercy; that is, as they
are merciful to others, God will be
merciful to them. (Comp. vi. 14,
Iii.)
8. the pure in heart.-Purity
of heart is freedom from evil de-I
sires and purposes. All human
purity i8 only comparative, but it
may exist in a very eminent degree. The pure in heart shall see
God by faith, as a source of enjoyment on earth, and shall see him
face to fo.ce in heaven. (Comp. 1
John iii. 2.)
9. the peacemakers.-No
particular class of peacemakers is designated. The term includes all who
make I?eace between men, whether
1.8 individuals or as communities.
It includes even those who worthily endeavor to make peace though
they fail of success. They shall be
called the children of God," beeause they are like God, whose BU
preme purpose it is to secure" peace
on earth and goodwill among men."
(Luke ii. 14.)
10. persecuted for righteousness,-'fo
be persecuted for righteouanesa' sake is to be persecuted,
not merely because you are righteoua, but because of righteous acta
..
hioh are oWensiveto the persecu-

tors. In the lips of the persecutor

himself his severe dealing is always
because of some wron~ with which
he charges you. It IS when the
thing charged as wrong is actually
right that the persecution is for
righteousness' sake. The kingdom
of heaven belongs to those thus
persecuted, because it is the righteousness required by the laws of
that kingdom which causes the persecution, and because, on the other
hand, the persecution binds the
persecuted still more closely to the
kingdom for which they Buffer.
11, 12. revile you.-This beatitude ia chiefly o.n amplification of
the preceding. Here we have persecution mentioned again, which
refers to suffering in property and
person, and, in addition to it, the
reviling and evil speaking by which
one suffers in reputation. Weare
to" rejoice and be exceeding glad "
under this annoyo.nce for the two
reasons, that our reward is ~reat in
heaven, and that such suffering puts
us into companionship with the heroic prophets of the olden time. To
be of that goodly company is a great
reward on earth; while the prom
ised reward in heaven exceeds all
conception. In requiring UB to rejoice and be glad under such circumstances, Jesus makes a heo.ry
draft on our capabilitv; but it is 0.
draft in the direction
"'ur own happiness, and one to ..
hi<ll! "Ome meD

11 +.vM".vo. Ree. Omitted by Lach., T.

S. Green, D, b, C, etc., Origen, Tertutlian,
etc.

or

v. 13, 14.]

MATTHEW.

U Ye are the salt of the earth:

but if the salt have lost his savor,
wherewith shall it be salted? it
is thenceforth good for nothing,

have been able to respond.

.Acts v. 41.)

51

I but to be C8.I!tout, and to be trodI den under foot of men. Ye

are the light of the world. A
I city that is set on an hill can Hot
U

0'

(See! spising righteousness, unmerciful,

I foul at heart, and a disturber
the peace-we have the utmost ex
GENERALREMARKSON THB BEAT1- treme of the cut sed ness to whicb
TUDES.
sin can bring down a human being
The reader should observe that
Relation of the Disciples fo the
the first seven of these beatitudes
World, 13-16.
hnve reference to traits of character
or states of mind, viz: poverty of
13. salt of the earth.-Salt
bespirit. meekness, mourning for sin, ing chiefly used to preserve animal
desire for righteousness, merciful- flesh, the metaphor here employed
ness, purity of heart, peacemaking; means that the disciples sustain a
while the last two have reference to similar relation to human societyexternal circumstances.
the physical earth being put by me
It should also be observed that tony my for its inhabitants.
They
most of them are paradoxical. The keep back the world from that comw()rld's conception of the man who plete moral corruption which would
is superlatively blessed has always require its destruction.
There W!tII
been the reverse of what is here not salt enough in the antediluv ian
taught
The doctrine was new and world, nor in the city of Sodom,
strange, not only to the heathen nor in the tribes of Canaan, to save
world, but even to the most culti- them.
vated students of the Mosaic law;
if the salt have lost.-In
ths
yet those who have received the expression, "if the salt have lost ita
fullness of grace that is in Christ, savor," the reference is to the perhave learned to realize the unques- sons represented by salt. If they
tionable truth of all these maxims. have lost the qualities which make
Weare not to understand that a them the salt of the earth. whereman who possesses anyone of the with. it is demand I'd. shall the earth
enumerated traits of churacter, and be salted? They are then good for
is void of the others. will enjoy the nothing, as salt would be if it had
corresponding blessing; that. for no saltness.
example. the peacemaker shall be
14. the light of the world.-AII
called a child of God, though nei- light dispels darkness from the
ther merciful nor pure in heart; world, and enables men to see how
but, rather, that the seven specifl- to journey and labor, so the discications are to be found in a single ples. by their good works, their
person-thus
making up the per- teaching. and their example. dispel
fect character who shall receive in ignorance and prejudice, and enatheir fullness all of the specified ble men to see the way of eternal
blessings. It is impossible to imag- life. In this way they are the light
IDe a character more admirable. of the world.
On the other hand, if we ima~ine
city set on a hilL-There
i.
here a tacit comparison of the disa man the opposite of all thlsproud in spmt, arrogant in de- ciples as a body to a city situated
point of comparisc n
lDeanor, takIDg pleasure in Bin, de- on a hill-the

52

MATTHEW.

be hid.
16 Neither
do men light
a candle, and put it under a
bushel, but on a candlestick;
and it giveth light unto all that
lire in the house.
1. 'Let your
light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works,
being the fact that it can not be
hid. The Church h38 ever occupied such a position. Neither her
beauties nor her blemishes can be
concealed. Her constant aim should
he to present as few as possible of
the one, and lI.II many as possible of
the other.
15. a candle.-Properly,
a lamp.
Candles were not known till after
the time of Christ. Having indicated by the symbol of a city on a
hill the prominent position of the
Church, Jesus now gives the reason
why it was to be placed in such a
position.
Being intended as the
li!\ht of the world, it is placed, like
II. lamp on the lamp-stand, in a poaition whence its light may shine

[v. 15-18.

and glorify your Father which

is in heaven.
IT Think
not that I am come to
destroy the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfill. 18 For verily 1say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass, one

prefatory to what follows in this

of the sermon, and it was
intended to prevent a. misconatruotion of some things about to be said
in apparent opposition to the law.
destroy the law.-The
term destroy is here used in antithesis, not
with perpetuate, but with fulfill.
To destroy the law would be more
than to abrogate it, for it was both
a system of statutes designed for
the ends of government, and a
system of type!\ foreshadowing the
kingdom of Christ. To destroy it,
therefore, w~ uld be both to abro~ate its stat. es and to prevent the
fulfillment of its types. The former Jesus eventuaIly did; the latter he did not. As regard the
al.roud.
prophets, the only way to destroy
under a bushel.-The
original them would be to prevent the fulword here rendered bushel (p.ci&o~) fillment of the predictions conil!the name of a measure which held taiued in them. lnstead of comabout a peck. Instead of the incor- iug to destroy either the law or
rect rendering, bushel, it would have the prophets, Jesus came to fulfill
been better to use the generic term all the types of the former and all
measure.
the unfulfilled predictions of the
16. Let your light 80 shine.-Ilatter.
He fulfilled them partly in
No ostentatious display of piety or his own person, and partly by his
righteousness is here enjoined. but administration of the affairs of his
the natural and unavoidable
force kingdom. The latter part of the
of a good example, and the intend- process is still goiu,ll:on, and will
ed influence of our actions on the be until the end of the world. Jeworld. Weare to studiously pur- SUB also fulfilled the law in the
sue such a line of conduct III the I sense of maintaining sinless obepresence of the world as will in- dience to it; but this is not the
duce them to glorify God.
fulfillment to which the text refers.
General Statement about the Law,
18. one jot or tittle.-The
words
17-:W.
jot and tittle, both of which mean
17. Think not.-The
remark, something very small, represent, in
"Think not that I am come to de- the origi nal, yod, the smallest letter
.troy the law or the nroohets." is in the Hebrew alnhabet ; or iota, the
section

v. 19-22.]

MATIHEW.

jot or one tittle shall in nowise

pass from the law, till all be fulfiJled.
18 Whosoever
therefore
shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach
men so, he shall be called the
least in the kingdom of heaven:
but whosoever shall do and teach
them, the same shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.
10 For
I say unto you, That
except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the

scribes and Pharisees, ye shall

in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
n Ye have heard that it was
said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not kill; and whosoever
shall kill shall be in danger of
the judgment:
but I say unto
you, That whosover is angI1with
his brother [without a cause J shall
22 "Kij Ru. Omitted by Lach TIsch -,
T. S. Green. lot. B.48, 198, Vulgate, lEthl
oplc, etc.

smallest in the Greek alphabet; and fore, that unless their own rightkeraia, a turn ill the stroke of the eousnesa should excel that of the
pen, by which some letters were dis- scribes and Pharisees, they would
tinguished from others. That not not be admitted into the kingdom.
s jot or tittle W88 to pass from the it gave them a lofty conception of
law until all was fulfilled, means that the righteousness which would be
the law should remain in full force required. The diseiplss here aduntil the fulfillment above described. dressed were those who, when the
19. least in the kingdom.kingdom WIl8 first set up, were its
The man who would break what citizens. The righteousness in queshe considered the small command- tion was to be attained by them bemerits of God, under one dispense- fore entering the kingdom; but such
tion, would be proportionately dis- would not necessarily be the cuse
obedient under a better dispensa- with candidates for admission subtion; for habits of disobedience once I sequent to that time. Htill, the text
formed are not easily laid aside. indicates that all within the kingdom
For this reason obedience or diso- shall attain to such ril$hteousness 88
bedience while under the law was a condition of remaimng in it.
an index to what a man would be Th L
. t ., d
21 96
under Christ. The text shows that
e aw agatns .alUr er,
--.
the relative greatness of persons in
21, said by them of old time.the kingdom of heaven is measured I The reference is to the sixth comby their conscientiousness in refer- mandment. It was said to them of
ence to the least commandments. old time, rather than by them. To
To t
great commandments. as them is a better rendering, both here
men classify them, even very small and in verses 27 and 33 below.
Christians may be obedient: but it
danger of the judgment.-Not
requires the most tender conscience the final judgment of the world, but
to be always scrupulous about the I the tribunal established by the law
least commandments.
I of Mose8 in each city for the trial
20. righteousness
of scribes of murderers and other criminals.
and Pharisees.-The
scribes, and (See Deut. xvi. IS.) Every manPharisees were models of right- slayer was tried before this tribueousness, both in their own esti- nal, and either put to death or conmation and in that of the people. fined in the city of refuge.
When the disciples were told, there- I 22. whosoever i8 angry.-J&L

_:

b4

MATTHEW.

beindangerofthejndgment:
and
whosoever shall say to his brother, Ra'ca, shall be in danger of
the council: but whosoever shall
say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
:II Therefore
if

[v. 23, 24.

I thou

bring thy gift to the altar,

and there rememberest that thy
brother hath ought against thee;
"' leave there thy gift before the
altar, and go thy way; first be
reconciled to thy brother, and

goes back of the murderous act, children were sacrificed to the god
and forbids the anger and the re- Moloch. This worship was entirely
proachful words which always pre- destroyed hy King .Iusiah, wh polcede it and are likely to lead to it. luted the entire valley, 80 as to make
The council mentioned is the su- it an unfit place for even heathen
preme eourt provided for by the worship. There is not the slightest
law of Moses (Deut xvii. 8-13), and authentic evidence that in the days
represented in the days of .Iesus bv I of Jesus any fire was kept burning
the Sauhedrim.
The difference be-I there; nor is there any evidence at all
between it and" the judgment." was, that casting a criminal into fire there
not that it could inflict penalties I was ever employed by the Jews as a
which the judgment could not-for i punishment. It was the fire of idoleither could inflict the death pen- atrous worship in the offering of hualty-but
that the council was the man sacrifice which had given the
more august tribunal, and the more valley its bad notoriety. 'I'his caused
dreaded. The thought is, that to it to he associated in the mind of the
call a brother raca (empty) was a Jews with sin and suffering, and led
more fearful sin than to be angry to the application of its name, in the
with him. The reader will observe Greek form of it. to the place of final
that the words" without a cause" and eternal punishment. When the
are omitted from the Greek text on conception of such a place was
very high authority.
formed it was necessary to /!ive.it a
in danger of hell fire.-Here
name, and there was no word in the
the climax is reached-the
climax Jewish langua/!e more appropriate
of sin in saying "Thou fool," and for the purpose than the name of
the climax of punishment in hell this hideous valley.
fire. Jesus here passes entirely:
23, 24. leave there thy gift.away from the reference to Jewish i Having forbidden anger and evil
courts and punishments, and speaks I speech toward a brother, Jesus here
of the final punishment of the wick- , teaches the proper course to belured, The vallev of Hinnom was a: sued when we have committe an
deep, narrow ~alley south-east of : offense, and a brother has something
Jerusalem, and lying immediately: against us. The offender is comto the south of Mount Zion. The manded to go and be reconciled to
Greek word gehenna is first found his brother, by making, of course,
ap~lied to it in the Septuagint trans- the proper amends; and he is to allation of Josh. xviii. 16. (For the low no other duty, not even the ofhistory of the valle, see the follow- fering of a gift to God, to take precing passages of Scripture : Josh. xv. edence of this duty. If rem em8; 2 Chron. xxviii, 3; xxxiii. 6; Jer. brance of the offense is brought to
vii. 31; xix. 1-5; 2 Ks.xxiii.lO-I4;
the mind after tho gift has been al2 Chron. xxxiv. 4,5.) The only fire ready brought tll the altar, the duty
certainly known to have been kin- of reparation must even then be atdled there Willi the fire in which tended to first. This places on nrv
BUS

v. 25-30.]

MATTHEW.

then come and offer thy gift.

Agree with thine adversary
quickly, whiles thou art in the
way with him j lest at any time
the adversary deliver thee to the
judge, and the judge deliver thee
to the officer, and thou be cast
into prison. til Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means
come out thence, till thou hast
paid the uttermost farthing.
t7 Ye have heard that
it was
said [by them of old time], Thou
shalt not commit adultery: but
I say unto you, That whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after
27 TO~~ ap)(aiOtf Ree. Omi tted by Lach.
rtsch., T. s. Green, Alford, 1 regelles.

high ground a duty which is often

totall y neglected,
It shows that no
offering which we can make to God
is acceptable while we are conscious
of an uncompensated wrong to a fellow-man.

25. Agree with thine adversary.-In

this brief allegory one is
supposed to have an adversary at
law who has a just cause against
him, and who will certainly gain a
verdict when the case comes into
court. He is advised to agree with
this adversary; that is, to make reparation to him in advance of the
trial and to prevent a. trial. .Jesus
still has in his mind the preceding
case of one who has given offense to
his brother.
Every such one is going to the final judgment, and will
there be condemned unless he now
becomes reconciled to his brother.
26. till thou hast paid.-'l'here
is allusion here to imprisonment for
debt. In such a case the debtor was
held until the debt was paid, either
by himself or some friend. I( it
were not paid at all, he remained
in {lrison until he died. In the case
whICh this is made to represent, the
offender will have let p8.88 all oppor-

her hath committed adultery

with her already in his heart,
1lI And
if thy right eye offend
thee, pluck it out, and cast it
from thee: for it is profitable
for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that
thy whole body should be cast
into hell. 10 And if thy right
hand offend thee, cut it off, and
cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy
members should perish, and not
that thy whole body [should be
cast: go away I into hell.
30 BI\~9ii Rec, ,;,,,A9u Lach., Tisch., T. S.
Green, Alford. 'l'regelles, N, B, 1, 21, 22,
33,157, Vulgate, etc.

tunity to make reparation,

and no
therefore the last farthing never will be
paid, and he must remain a prisoner'
forever.

I friend can make it for him

The Law against Adultery, 27-30.

27, 28. whosoever
looketh.Here, as in the reference to murder,
Jesus goes behind the act which
alone is mentioned in the Mosaic
law, and legislates against the look
and the feeling which might lead to
the act. That which is condemned
is not a look of admiration or of affection, but a look of lust. He cuts
off the enormous evil of adultery at
its lowest root; for he who allows
not himself to look upon a woman
with a. lustful feeling will Dever
commit the act of adultery.
29, 30. right eye offend thee.
-Knowing the intensity and universality of the passion against which
he is here legislating, Jesus supports
his precept by the most powerful
incentive to obedience.
The imago
ined pleasure of indulgence is confronted with the final and eternal
consequences in hell, while the selfdenial which refuses to indulge W

"6

~[ATTHEW.

II It
hath been said, 'Vhosoever shall put away his wife, let
him give her a writing of divorcement:
II But
I say unto you,
That whosoever shall put away

[v. 31, 32.

his wife, saving for the cause of

fornication, causeth her to comI mit adultery:
and whosoever
i shall marry her that is divorced
I comrnitteth adultery.
I

-----------------------------:----------------------------stimulated by the promise of eter- I place after marriage, or that which

nal life. As it is better to be de- I takes place before marriage-the
prived of all the pleasure and ad van- I husband being ignorant of it at the
tage of the ril!:ht eye or the right i time of marriage.
In no part of
hand during life and then enter I the New Testament is there any
into eternal life, rather than enjoy I relaxation of the law here given.
these and then be cast into hell, so Paul's teaching in 1 Cor. vii. 10-15,
in reference to the pleasures of lust. I contains no such relaxation, but
Better never to taste the8elleasures
I merely furnishes directions for a
at all than, having enjoye them to Christian woman who, contrary to
the full, to be finally cast into hell. the law here given, is abandoned
The Greek word (axa.v.5a.,-,'w) ren- by her heathen husband.
dcred offend is derived from anothcauses
her.-A
woman, when
er (axllv.5a.'-",,) which means the trig- divorced by her husband, naturally
gel' of a snare or trap.
Primarily,
seeks a second marriage, if for no
then, it means to ensnare; and this other reason than to vindicate herterm well expresses the meaning. in self from the imputation cast on hpr
this a.~~ several oth~r places, such by the. divorce .. The second huxas, XVIII. 6-\J; Mark IX. 42-47; Luke band, III accepting her hand, proxvii. 2; I Cor. viii. 13. But that nounces against the act of the first
which, like a trap catching a man's husband.
But her second marriage
foot. causes surprise and pain, al- is adultery. and her first husband,
ways gives offense; hence the sec- Ly divorcing her, indirectly causes
ondary meaning of the term, which her to commit this crime.
is to offend, (See xi. 6; xv 12;
whosoever shall marry her.xvii. 27.)
The second marriage of the divorced
into hell.-The
tern; .qehenna, woman is pronounced adultery both
here rendered hell, as it alw ays is, on her part and on that of her new
designates the place of punishment husband; that is, her marriage while
for those who allow themselves to her first husband still lives. (See
be ensnared.
There was no such Hom. vii. 2.) 'Vhether the man
punishment as bein!!: "cast into the who puts awuv his wife because
valley of Hinnom r " therefore the of fornication, or the woman who
reference must be, as above (verse leaves her husband for the eame
22), to the final l)lace of torment. crime, is at lil.erty to marry again,
(Comp. Mark ix. 3.)
is not made 80 clear. It is clearly
implied, however, that the marriage
The Law of Dirorce, 31, 3~.
bond is broken; and it is almost
32. saving for the cause.-Tt
universally conceded by com menII! perfectly
clear that .lesus here tators and moralists tha~ the in noprohibits divorce except for the sin- cent party to such a divorce can
gle cause of fornication.
For this marry again. This subject is mencause it is implied that divorce may I' tioned again in the following places
rightly take place. The fornication xix. 3-9; Rom. vii. 1-3; I Cor. vii
may be either that which tabs lfi-ll; ~9.

1'.33-36.]

MATTHEW.

Again, ye have heard that

\t hath been said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not forswear
thyself, but shalt perform unto
the Lord thine oaths' But I
say unto you, S",ear not at all,
It 18 much to be regretted
that In
many Protestant countrres
the cn II
authorrties
hav err ictrcally set asrde
this law of Christ by allowiug
divorce and remarriage
for a variety
of cvuses
No man who respects
the authorrty
of Christ can take ad
vantage of such Iegislation

The LaIC of Oaths, 33-37

33-36 But I say unto you.-

In this l"lrd!!r'll'h
.18 In the one next
preceding on dn orce and III the one
next followmz on rotahation,
Jesus
takes aw av hbertu.s WhICh had been
r:ranted
the law of Moses and
Imposee on his drsciples restrrctrons
not known before
The precept of
the law
Thou shalt not forswear
thyself'
(commit
perjury ), "but
shalt ,I.H'rform unto the Lord thme
oaths
IS unchangeably
right and
proper
It 18 not repealed
by JeIU~
hut the unhmitcd
prrvilege
of
makmz
oaths
whu.h It Implies
IS
taken 'lWdY
Swear
not at all-The
only
oath uuthorrzed
by the law of Moses
was one taken III the name of God
(Deut
VI 13)
The oaths which
Jesus here rroceeds
to prolnbrt-c, bv heaven
hy the earth,"
, by
Jerus'llem,
"bv thy head' -were
all unauthorrved
by the law
Moreover, .t was taught by the SCribes
that these oaths
and all others
which did not Include
the name
of God had not the bmding
force
of an oath
The universal
prohibinon
"Swear
not at all" IS distrrbuted by the specrficanon
of these
four forms of oaths, and IS, there
.~-.
most .trlctly
interpreted
as

by

1)7

neither by heaven; for It is

God's throne; nor by the
earth, for It is his footstool:
neither by J eru'salem; for It Ii'
the city of the great Kmg.
~ either shalt thou swear by
Includlll~
only such oaths
Jesue
surely did not Intend
to abohsb
now, III advance of the general ah
rogation of the law, those statutes of
Moses which allowed
and In some
Instances
required
the admuustration of an oath
(See Ex xx n 11 j
Num v 19)
What we style the
judicial
oaths of the law of Moses,
then were not included
III the prohrbmon
ThIs conclusion
IS also
reached when we interpret
the prohrlntion In the light of authorrtative
examples
God himself
"because he
could swear by no greater
swore by
hnnself' ' In confirmmg
the promise
to Abraham (Heb VI 13) and he
did the same III deelarmg
the prresthood of ChrIst
(Heb \11 21 ) JEr
8U8 answered
to an oath before the
Sanhedrnn
- Caiaphas
administer
mg the oath In the form
'I adjure
thee by the liVln/! God'
(Matt
XXVI 63)
Paul also made oath to
the Cormthian
Church
sayIng
"I
call upon God as a WItness on my
soul that to spare you I came not
as yet to Cormth " (2 Cor L 23
See also, Rom I 9, Gdl
I 20.
Phil I 8, I Cor xv 31. Rev x 5,
6)
We eonclude
then
that judicial oaths
and oaths taken III the
name of God on occasions
of 801emn relunous
Importance
are not
included
III the prohihition
, but lUI
these are the only excepnons
found
In the SCriptures
we conclude that
all other oaths are forbidden
All
of these remarks
apply With the
same force to the p-rrallel passage
In .Jas v 12
For the teaching
of
the sorrbes
and Pharrsees
on the
subject see Matt XXIll 16-22, and
notes thereon

b8

MATTHEW.

thy head, because thou canst

not make one hair white or
black.
S7 But
[let your communication
be: your communication shall bel Yea) yea ; Nay,
nay:
for whatsoever
is more
than these cometh of evil.
Ye have heard that it hath
been said, An eye for an eye,'
3i <<TT s. '<TT<'" Laeh., T. S. Green,
AUord.

and a tooth

[v. 37-42.
for a tooth:

- but

I say unto you, That ye resist

not evil: but whosoever shall

smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn
to him the other also.
60 And
if any man will sue thee
at the law, and take away thy
coat, let him have thy cloak
also.
And whosoever
shall
com pel thee to go a mile, go
with him twain.
Give to him

for it is God's throne.-Swearnever the law of God that he whose

ing by any person or thing is either tooth or eye was knocked out should
to invoke the power thereof, or to proceed, without judge or jury, to
pledge our own power in reference knock out the tooth or eye of his asto it. To swear by heaven, by the sailant; butin every case of maiming
earth, by Jerusalem (verse 35), or under the Mosaic law the guilty party
by your own head, conveys the lat- was regularly tried in the courts, and
tel' idea. The Savior shows in each the penalty was inflicted by the offiease that the idea is an absurd one, cers of the law. (See Deut. xix. 17and thus exposes the folll of such 21; Ex. xxi. 22-25.) The injured
oaths. As heaven is God s throne, party was not required to prosecute,
the earth his footstool, and -lerusa- but was at liberty, if he saw proper
lem the city of the great King, the to show mercy by declining to do so
man who made oath had no control (Comp. Lev. xix. lB.)
over these; and over his own head
39, resist not evil.-This
prohe had so little that he could not hibition must be understood in the
make one hair white or black.
light of the context. Evil, in one
37, your communication
shall sense, is to be resisted with all OUI
be.-Instead
of an oath for confir- might, and without cessation, but
mation on ordinary occasions, Jesus the reference here is to evil treatenjoins a simple affirmation or de" ment at the hand of a neighbor, sa
nial-" Yea, yea; Nay, nay." The I when he knocks out your eye or
reason given is, that" whatsoever is your tooth. While the law of Mosca
more than these cometh of evil." It allowed the injured party to seek
comes of evil because it arises either revenge, Jesus prohibits his discifrom a want of veracity on the part of ples from taking the advantage of
he person taking the oath, or from a this law.
uspicion of this on the part of him
39-42. whosoever shall smite
who exacts it. James ~ives another thee -Under the general precept,
reason: "Lest ye fall into condem- "Resist not evil," we here have
nation." (Jas. v. 12.) Frequent and three specifications. The first, which
unnecessary swearing naturally di- requires that when smitten on one
minishes men's respect for an oath, cheek we shall turn the other, ia
and increases to this extent their best illustrated by the Savior's own
liability to fall into condemnation conduct. When smitten in the pre&by swearicg falsely.
ence of the high priest, he mildly
Th L
. t R t u ti 38-42 remarked:" If I have spoken evil,
e awagams
e a ~a on,
. bear witness of the evil; but if well,
38 An eye for an eye.-Tt 'Vas why do you smite me?" (John xviii.
I

'

~
~

'1,48, 44.]

MATTHEW.

that asketh thee, and from him

that would borrow of thee turn
not thou away.
61 Ye have heard that it hath
been said, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor, and hate thine enemy.
"But I say unto you, Love
44 .iIo'\o'Y.~n . P.t.O'OiiVTClC VILac Bee.
Jmltted by Lach., TIsch., T. S. Green, AI-

22, 23.) If we imitate his example

we will meet the requirements of
his precept. The second specification (verse 40) supposes a man sued
at the law, and his coat (the inner
garment of the Jew) unjustly taken
frOIDhim. He is told to let the oppressor have also his mantle, which
was the outer garment, and more
valuable. Under the law it was forbidden to keep a poor man's garment from him through the night,
even when it was taken as a pledge
(Ex. xxii. 26, 27); therefore the case
here supposed is one of extreme oppression. The lesson taught can
not be less than this: that even the
most unjust and extreme exactions
by forms of law are to be endured
without seeking revenge. The third
specification (41) supposes a man
impressed by a !!overnment official
to go a mile. The custom alluded
is said to have originated with Cyrus, king of Persia, and it empowered a government courier to impress both men and horses to hel,?
him forward. The exercise of this
power by the Romans was exceedm~ly distasteful to the Jews, and
this circumstance gave especial pertinency to the Savior's mention of
it. (See Herodotus viii. 98; Xen.
Cyrop. viii. 6, 17; Josephus, Ant. xiii,
2, 3-), The command, "Go with him
two,' requires a cheerful compliance with the demands of a t'y'rannical government. The specifications about giving and lendmg (42)
do not strictly belong to the precept,
"Resist not evil," but they consti-

59

your enemies, [bless them that

curse you, do good to them that
hate you]. and pray for them
which [despitefully use you, and]
ford, TregeUes. 1<, B, I, 11, 17, 22, ss, 118,
mg, k/ Coptic, N. ~yria.c.
44 e."..."pe-a.{6V'TCoJl' Vl4dC K(l.l Ree. Omitted
by Lach .. Tisch., T. 8. Green, Alford, Tregelles, 1<, B, 1. 11, 22, 24, k, N. Syriac, H.
Syriac, Coptic, JEmiopic, etc.

tute a further extension of the benevolent disposition which this pre

cept requires. No lending was provided for by the law of Moses except
for benevolent purposes, for no in
terest was allowed, and all debts
were canceled every seventh year
The giving and lending referred to,
then, are limited to cases of real
want, and the amount given or
loaned is to be regulated accordingly. Giving .or lendinl' to th_e
encouragement of vIce or lDdolenc.~
can not, of course, be here included.
The Law of Love, 43-48.

43. hate thine enemy.-" Love

your neighbor as yourself" was an

express precept of the law of Moses
(Lev. xix, 18), while the sentiment
"Hate thine enemy" is not found
in the law as a precept. But thc
Jews were forbidden by law to make
peace with the Canaanites (Ex.
xxxiv. 11-16; Deut. xxiii. 6), and
the bloody wars which by God sown
command they frequently waged
against their enermes inevitablJ
taught them to hate them. This
was the feeling of their most pious
men, and it found utterance even
in their devotional hymns; e. g. Ps.
cxxxix. 21. 22. It is a true representation of the law, therefore, in
its practical working, that it taught
hatred of one's enemies. This is
one of the evils of the Jewish dispensation, which, like the privilege
of divorce at will, was to endure
but for a time.

44. love your enemies.-To

60

MATTHEW.

persecute you; " that ye may

be the children of your Father
which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and
on the good, and sendeth rain on
the just and on the unjust . For
if ye love them which love you,
what reward have ye? do not
even the publicans Ithe same:
10 I?
'7 And if ye salute your

[v. 45-4A.

brethren only, what do ye more

than others? do not even the
I publicans: heatlum I I so: ths
&17M I?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your IFather which
is in heaven: heavenly Father I is
perfect.

46 1'"b aVTbBee. OVTWf Lach .. T. S. Green,

AICord. 'I'rege lles, D. z, h. k, etc.
47 nAw ..,u Bee. J8VlICoi Lach., TiJ5ch., T.

8. Green, Alfordl Tregelles, N, B, D." J.

22.33. 209, etc., N.
SyrillC, H. SyrlllC, etc.
47 OUT<. Ree. Tb vTb Lach., Tisch., T. S.
Green, Alford, Tregelles, ~, B, D, M, 0', '.
etc., VUlgate, Coptic. etc.
48 er Toi~ ovpalloif Rec. ovpc:i'-'Of Lach.,
Ttsch., T. B. Green, Aliord, Tregelles.

love an enemy, has appeared to

many persons impoesible, because
they understand the word love as
here expressing the same feeling
in all respects which we entertain
toward a friend or It near kinsman.
But love has many shades and de~rees. The exact phase of it which
18 here enjoined is best understood
in the light of examples. The para.ble of the good Samaritan is given
by Jesus for the express purpose of
exemplifying it (Luke x, 25-37);
his own example in praying on the
cross for those who crucified him
servea the same purpose '(Luke
xxiii. 34); and so does the conduct
of David when he spared the life
of Saul (-1 Sam. xxiv, xxvi.) The
feeling which enables us to deal
with an enemy as the good Samaritan did, as Jesus did, and as David
did, is the love fur our enemies
which is here enjoined. It is by
no means an impossible feeling.
45-47. that ye may be.-Two
reasons are here given why we
should obey the preceding precept:
First, that we may be children of
our Father in heaven, wl.ich means
that we may be like him; and second, that we may be unlike the publicans and the heathen.
A8 even
the publicans and the heathen love
those who love them, and salute
those who salute them, if we do
no more than that we are no bet-

ter in respect to the law of love

than they. We are rather to be
like God, who causea his sun to
shine on the evil as on the good.
and sends his rain on the just as
on the unjust.
publicans-A
word of Latin origin, designating those who hired
themselves to the Roman government as collectors of the Roman
tax. The fact that the .Jews were
a conquered people paying tax to
a foreign power, made the tax itself odious, and equally odious the
men through whom it WRl! extorted
from them. These men were re
garded in the double aspect of oppressors and traitors. The odium
thus attached to the officejrevented men who had any regar for the
good opinion of their countrymen
from accepting it. and left it in the
hands of those who had no self-respect and no reputation. They generally deserved the oontempt with
which they were regarded. They
were justly accused of extortion
(Luke iii. 13), and of false accusation for the sake of gain. (Luke
xix. 8.) In the other provinces of
the empire they were held in no
better repute than in Judea, for
Cicero pronounces their businese
the basest of all means of livelihood." (De Officiis i. 42.)
48. Be perfect.-The
command.
Be perfect as your heavenly Father

MA'.ITHEW.

vi. 1-4.]

VI. I Take heed that ye do!

not your I alms: r0hteousne& I before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of
your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest
thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites
do in the synagogues and in the
streets, that they may have glo1 IAr."".oCT"v",.,

RI'c.

45&.K4l0cn1Y1J"

L&ch..

Tisch . T. S. Green. Alford. TregeUes, N, B,

D, I, 209, 217, Vulgate. II. Syrlac, etc.

61

ry of men.
Verily I say unto
you, They have their reward.
I But
when thou doest alms,
let not thy left hand know what
thy right hand doeth:
'that
thine alms may be in secret:
and thy Father
which seeth
in secret
[himself]
shall reward thee [openly].
4 min-b. Rec.
Omitted by Laen., T. 8.
Green, Alford, Tregelles.
4 ~. n'; <j> P.;; Rec. Omitted by Lach
TIsch., 1:. s, Green. Alford,_ Tregelles,
~,
B, D. Z, 1, 22, 118, 2109.ete., N. Syriac,Coptic, Vulgate. ete.

ia perfect, makes the moral perfeo- verse a general character, making

tion of God our model. It is, of it include all acts of righteousneSlO
course, impossible for man to attain done to be seen by men. It is de
tu this perfection; yet any thing clared that for none such have we
short of It is short of what we ought any reward from God. In the next
to Le. While man can not attain verse almsgiving is introduced as a
to so milch, God can not require Ispecifica.tion under this general pr~
less; for to require less would im- cept.
ply satisfaction with that which is
2. sound a trumpet.-Trumpet.s
Imperfect. and this would be incon- are sounded as signals to large bodsistcnt with the character of God. ies of men. From this circumstance
To require this is to keep man for- a man who takes pains to draw atever reminded of his inferiority, tention to himself IS said to sound a
and, at the same. time, to keep him trumpet before him. This the hypforever struggling for a nearer ap- ocrites did when they gave alms.
proach to his model. The require- As the alms were given to be seen
ment is eminently wise and good.
by men, every effort was made to
[See the argument of the entire prevent any from missing the sight.
sermon at the end of 5.]
'Ve still say of a man who acts thus,
that" he blows his own trumpet."
their reward.-The
Pharisees,
SECTIO~ Ill.
to whom there is especial reference
here, had in hand the reward which
AGAINST lIVPOCRISY AND WORLDLY
.
f th e
they sought-the admiration
0
CARIlI, VI.
people. More accurately translated,
SERKO!<
ONTHEKOUNT-CONTINUED.
the remark is: .. they have in full
AlI;alnstHypocrtsy In Alm.glvlng,I-4; their reward;" which implies that
In Prayer, 5-15; In Fast.mg, IIH8; the Iraise of men was the only reAgainst
about Riches,
war wLI'ch
the~would ever receive.
About theCare
Necessaries
of Life, 19-24;
2.>-84.
II
In contrast wit this it is asserted
Again,! Hypocrisy in Almsgiving, below (verse 4) that if alms are
1-4.
given properly God himself will
1. Your righteousness -Thill reward the giver.
term, which is adopted in the cor-I 3, 4. thy left hand know,rected text in the place of alms, Let not thy left hand know what
/[ives the precept contained in this, thy right hand doeth" is a very

MATTHEW.

62

And when I thou prayest,

thou shalt: ye pray, ye shall I not
be a...,the hypocrites are: for
they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and in the cor5 "poO'w,xn oill( ;ul1 Bee. "pocnv'X1Ia8f! oille
Lach
TlSCh., T. S. Greeu, Alford,

;(1~CT9t

Tregelles.

Itriking expression.
Once heard
it is never forgotten; neither is it
easily misunderstood,
but it may
be misapplied
While it very emphatically condemns all attempts
to publish abroad our ulmsgivin).!;,
it does not condemn the publication of it for a proper purpose by
others. Jesus, in order to teach a
~ood leason, published the liberality of the poor widow (~Iark xii.
41-44); and Luke, in order to stimulate the liberality of others, made
public mention of the benevolence
of Barnabas.
(Acts iv, 36, 37.)
Even in this, however, we must be
on our guard, lest we tempt men
to give for the sake of the notoriety with which they expect others to
reward them.
4. shall reward
thee.-Notwithstanding
the truth so clearly
revealed in the Scri ptures, that our
salvation is a matter of favor and
not of reward, it still remains true,
as this verse clearly asserts, that
for all the good which we do God
will reward us. The joys of the
eternal world, as well as the blessings of this, are included in the
reward. (Comp. ~latt. xxv. 34-40.)
Against

Hypocrisy in Prayer,
5-15.

5. as the hypocrites.-Public
prayer-that
is, prayer spoken aloud
for the edification of others-is
not
referred to in this paragraph;
for
this must be offered III public, while
tho prayer here spoken of is to be
offered in the closet. (Verse 6 )
The practice condemned is that of

[vi.

e,

6.

ners of the streets that they

may be seen of men. Verily
I say unto you, They have their
reward. But tho 1, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet,
and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father Which
is in secret; and thy Father
assuming an attitude of prayer in
public places, when the prayer itself is not for the public.
The
hypocrites would stand up in the
synagogues,
and, with upturned
faces and uplifted hands, would
offer a silent prayer.
They did
the same on the streets, and especially on the corners of the
streets where men coming from
four different directions could see
them. Nothing but a desire to be
seen by men could have prompted
this practice.
It was hypocritical,
because it was a pretended act uf
homage to God, while it wa..~ really
an effort to obtain honor from men.
The same fault is committed now
by preachers who assume attitudes
of private prayer in the pulpit, and
by members who do the same in
the pew. Jesus says to all such,
Go to your closet, alld shut the
door.
their reward.Their reward, as
in the case of almsgiving (verse 2),
wa- what they sought and obtainedthe praise of men What was actual
hypocrisy appeared to the unsuspectinu people to be great religious
boldness, and they praised the men
who were not ashamed to t.e seen
praying even on the corners of the
streets.
6. enter into thy closet -Inasmuch as a cl08Pt is not found in
every house, or in every place where
private prayer ought to be made. we
understand the t:;avior as using it to
represent
any place of privacy
That the door is to be shut, indieates
the atrictnees of the privacy which

vi. 7-13.]

MATTHEW.

which seeth in secret shall re-I pray ye: Our Father which art
ward thee [openly.) I But when in heaven, Hallowed be thy
ye pray, use not vain repetitions, name.
10 Thy
kingdom come.
as. the heathen do: for they I Thy will be done in earth, as it
think ~hat they Bh~ll be heard is in h~aven. 11 Give us this day
fOltheir ~lUC~ speaking. Be not lour dally bread. 11 And ft}r~ive
ye therefore like unto them: for us our debts, as we I forgive:
your Father knoweth what things have flYrgiven J our debtors. lSAnd
ye have need of, before ye ask lead us not into temptation, but
him. After this manner therefore

6 or To/ 4>. p<j:. Ree. Omitted by Laen.,

Tisch .. T. S. Green, Allord, Tregelles.

12 ~4>i." Bee 0.4>";.""" Lach., 'Ilsch.,

T. 8. Green, Alford, Trejlp,lles, N, B, z,l, etc.

is to be observed. Of all our earthly

8, before you ask him.-That
hours, those which we spend in I God knows what things we have
prayer to God should be the most' need of before we ask him, is a
completely freed from diszuise and good reason why we should not use
pretense. When we are alone with vain repetitions. If he were ignorant
him, no eye but his to see us, no of them we might be excused for
being near to be deceived by false excess of words in striving to make
ap'pearances, we have the least pos them known; but as he already
aible incentive to hypocrisy.
knows them, a single statement of
shall reward thee.-For
such each at anyone time must be suffiprayerfulness a~ is here enjoined cient. If it be objected that the
there is a reward. The prayer thus fact of God's knowledge renders
offered is likely to be answered; prayer itself unnecessary, we anbut in addition to the answer a re- swer that it certainly would if the
ward is bestowed for the fidelity only object of prayer were to give
with which the praying is done.
I God information:
but as this is not
7. vain repetitlons.-There
is I even one of its objects, the objection
some uncertumty as to the exact is irrelevant.
meaning of the Greek word (j3a-ra.9-13. After this manner.-The
J.ooyr,a'1 ..), rendered" use cain repe- expression" after this manner" intitums ;" hut this rendering har- dicates that the prayer which folmonizes well with the context, and lows. called the Lord's prayer becan not be far from the exact mean- cause it was taught by him, i.e
ing. The reason given why the intended as a model of matter,
heathen are guilty of this fault is arrangement and expression. The
that" they think they shall be heard following analysis of it will help
for their much speaking." Much the reader to appreciate its value 88
speaking includes not only vain a model:
repetitions. but all unnecessary
1. The Invocation.-"Our Father
worde. The precept restricts us, who art in heaven." Nearly all of
then, to simplicity of expression, the prayers recorded in the Scriptsnd to a sinjrle utterance of each ures begin with a solemn address
petition in the same prayer. It is to God, which is called the invocaespecially violated by the multiplied tion. The most common invocation
repetitions of the Roman Catholic of the Jewish fathers had been "0
roeary. When we pray we speak to Lord God of our fathers;" but now
God: we can not order our Ipeech that the Son of God hsd appeared
~ carefully.
88 the brother of man. a new form

[vi. 13

MATTHEW.
deliver us from evil: [For thine er, and the
is the kingdom, and the pow- Amen.]
13 on <TO;; ;CTT
0.,,>1- Rec. Omitted gelles, K, B, D\ z, I,
oy Lach.,

Ttsch., T. S. Green,

Alford, Tre-

i8 introduced, and the discir,le8 are

taught to say, "Our Father. '
II. Three Petitions for Others.
a. "Hallowed be thy name." "Hal-'
lowed" means, first, made holy;
second, treated as holy. The petition calls for that reverence which
is due to the name of God. There
is no limit assigned it, and therefore it embraces the universe of intelligent creatures, and calls for
universal worship of God. b." Thy
kingdom come." This is a petition
for the inauguration of the kingdom which Jesus came to establish.
c. "Thy will be done in earth as it is
in heaven." This contemplates the
conversion and the complete sanctification of the whole human race.
ill. Three Petitions for Self.
After praying for the glory of God,
the establishment of his kingdom,
and the spiritual good of all men,
the speaker is next allowed to speak
of his own wants. a." Give us this
day our daily bread." Bread, the
staff of life, is the representative of
the things needful for the body.
The petition is not for milk and
honey, the symbols of luxury, but
for bread, and bread sufficient for
this day. We are to be moderate
in our requests for even necessary
things.
b." Forgive us our debts
as we have forgiven our debtors."
Here the term debts is used for
trespasses, as appears from the comment on this petition in verses 14,
15. This petition expresses the one
thing needful to the soul in regard
to the past. It is conditional, and
the condition is expressed in the
petition itself-the
same condition
previously indicated in the fifth
beatitude (v. 7). c." Lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from
evil." Here the one want of the

Vulgate,

Scho ia.

glory, forever.
17, 118, :30, 209, CopUo,

soul for the future is eapres sed.

God does not tempt us (Jas. i. 13),
but by his providence he somet mes
leads us into circumstances which
become the means of temptation.
This petition expresses our natural
desire not to be thus led, and at the
same time, by adding, "deliver UI
from evil," it indicates that we ex
pect to be brought more or less into
conflict with evil, notwithstanding
our expressed desire to avoid it.
The counterpart to the petition i8
found in Paul'a aesurance that "God
is faithful, who will not suffer you
to be tempted above what you are
able; but will, with the temptation,
make a way to escape, that you mal
be able to bear it." (I Cor x: 13.)

For thine is the kingdom e--

This doxology is rejeoted, on j/;ood

ground, as an interpolation.
(See
critical note.) It is a mark of the
singular simplicity of the prayer
that it closes without a doxolo:zy,
and even without the Amen which
was customarily employed in the
apostolic churches (1 Cor. xiv. 16),
and is now an invariable termination
of public prayer.
Brief R8 this prayer is, it comprehends all for which we should pray.
'1'he first petition comprehends all
that pertains to the honor and glory
of God j the second and third, all
that was requisite to the corning of
God's kingdom and to the conversion and sanctification of men; the
fourth, all the daily wants of the
body j the fifth, all that the soul
now needs or can enjoy in regard
to the past; and the sixth, all that
the soul needs to care for in regard
to the future.
Two changes are necessary in
order to adapt this prayer to present
use. We must omit the petition,

vi. 14-18.]

MATTHEW.

66

For if ye forgive men their: unto men to fast. Verily I say

trespasses, your heavenly Father unto you, They have their rewill also forgive you: 16 but if ward. ITBut thou, when thou
ye forgive not men [their tres- fastest, anoint thine head. and
passes], .neither will your Fa- wash thy face ; 18 that thou apther forgive your trespasses.
pear not unto men to fast, but
IIl\1oreover when ye fast, be unto thy Father which is in senot. as the hypocrites, of a sad cret: and thy Father, which
countenance: for they disfigure seeth in secret, shall reward thee
their faces, that they may appear i [openly].
1<

15 ft'capa.7rTWl-'4TG.
ClVWV Rec,
Omitted by
Tisch . T. S. Gree!l . x. 0',1, 118. 209, etc.,
a, c, h, k, etc., P. ~yrlac, \i ulgate, etc.

.18 ,. T';; "' . ,p';; Rec. Omitted by Lach .

Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

Thy kingdom come;" for in the I of God and the good of others in
sense of the petition the kingdom advance of our own interests. It i8
has already come, and it is improper strictly a prayer, and not an exto retain the words and yet attach pression or thanks.
to them a sense different from that
in which Jesus employed them. We
Against Hypocrisy in Fasting,
must also insert the name of Jesus
16-18.
as the mediator through whom we
16. as the hypocrites.-The
pray; for on the ni~ht of the be- hypocrisy in this instance consisted
trayal he taught his disciples to in the prete use that the And counthenceforward ask in his name. I tenance assumed and the disfigured
(John xvi. 24. Bee also Col. iii. appearance were the result of deep
17.)
devotion to God, when they were
14,15. Forifyeforgive.-These
I really intended to attract the attentwo verses are appended to show why I tion and to excite the admiration of
the petition for forgiveness of sins ~men.
must be conditional. It fills us with
17,18. anoint and wash.-The
awe to think that one condition of Christian is here required to mainthe forgiveness of our own sins is tain the same personal appearance
the forgiveness by us of sins com- when fastin/!: as on ordinary occamitted against us. One of the most aions, that he may not appear to
-iifficult duties of life is to forgive men to be fasting, and mny thereby
our fellows. yet the most essential avoid the temptation to hypocrisy.
thing that we pray for is contingent As in the case of almsgiving ana
on it. Let us realize the fact, and praying when done in secret, a react and pray accordill~ly.
ward is promised. (Comp. 4, 6.) One
The manner in which we are to object of fasting is self-abasement:
imitate this model prayer must con- but when it is observed to be seen
sist in imitating its peculiarities as by men it cultivates religious pride.
they appear in the prayer itself, and It was doubtless the influence of
in the instructions which accom- teaching like this which led the
pany it. We must pray, first, in Christian Jews to abandon the abprivacy; second, Without useless surd practice l'remlent among their
words or repetitions, third, having ancestors of putting on sackcloth
forgiven those who have trespassed and sitting down in a pile of ashes
against UB; and fourth, with that on occasions of fasting and lamentauneelfisbness which places the glory tion.
6

~IAT'THEW.

66

[.
i. 19-24.

II Lay
not up for yourselves: there will I your: thy I heart he
treasures
upon
earth,
where, also, n The light of the hody is
moth and rust doth corrupt, and' the eye: if therefore thine eye
where thieves hreak through and he single, thy whole body shall
steal:
10 but
lay up for your- be full of lig-ht.
,. But if thine
selves treasures in heaven, where eye he evil, thv whole bod v shall
neither moth nor rust doth cor- be full of da;kne&!.
If' thererupt, and where thieve", do not fore the light thut is ill thee he
break through
1101' st eal : 21 for
darkness. how great is that darkwhere [your : thy I treasure
is, ness!
No lilian can serve two
masters : fur either he will hate
21 iI~';H' Ref'.
Lach., Th:ch .. T. S.
I
ill
h
Green. Alford. Tregelles,
t ie one aru ove t ie ot er; or
0"0\1

lost forever when we leave the

world. But if it is in heaven, when
19. Lay not up.-The
prohibi- we leave this world we go away to
tiou is not against the mere accu- the real sources of our happiness,
mulatiun of property; for this. if I and we find thcm as dur~.ble as
a<'cClll'l"LUitJd
by a proper use of it, eternitv.
i" one means of laying up treasures
22, 23 The light of the body.
in lu-uven ; but it is against hoard- -In
these two verses there i" a
illg arthly poesessious for selfish brief allegory, the meaning of which
purposcs. The uncertainty attached is to be ascertained from the eOI\'
to such possessions, exposed, as they text. The subject under conaideraare. to moth and rust, and to the i tion is the propriety of laying IIp
depredutious of robbers, is given as i treasures, not on earth, but in
one reason for not hoarding them, I heaven, The man whose eye is "/Itwhile a still better reason is reserved' .qle-that is, it sees nothing double
fur verse 21 below.
or with confused vision-c-repreaents
20. but lay up.- The precept, him who lays up treasure in heuvn.
"1,fl,yur, for yourselves treasures in As the good !'ye fills the whole body
heaven, ' is not explained; but the with light, or supplies to the whole
m.aning of it and the methods of body the advnntages of light, 1'0
accomplishing it are both left to the does the rule of Iife insisted un in
good sense of each individual. The the context, enable the man to see
security of such treasures against I in a proper light all matters of duty
the moth and the rust and the I and of enjoyment
But he who
thieves which threaten earthly pos- lays up treasures on earth has the
sessions is presented as a motive to evil eye, or the e)'e whose vision is
obedience. The contrast is very distorted, and which sees all things
str iking. No man who pauses a incorrectly. The light that is in
single moment fur reflection can him is darkness; that is, the rule
fail to realize it.
by which his life is guided is fulse
21. for where thy treasure is. and pernicious: and th is being the
-Here is the chief reason for lay- case, how great is the durkuess ill
ing up treasures in heaven and not which he walks'
on the earth. Where the heart is,
24. two masters.-Two
musters
there is our source of happiness. whose interests are different and
If it is on the earth, our happiness conflicting, as God and mammon
must partake of all the uncertainty He who lays up his treasures in
of earthly things, and it must be heaven serves God, while he who
Agaill.~t Care about Riches, 19-2.

vi. 25, 21).]

M.ATIHEW.

else he will hold to the one, and

despise the other. Ye can not
serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you,Take
no thought for your life, what ye

shall eat, or what ye shall drink;

nor yet for your body, what J.e
shall put on. Is not the life
more than meat, and the body
than raiment?
Behold the

lays up his treasures on earth serves

mammon.
Mammon is a Chaldee
term for riches. God will accept
none of our service unless he has it
all Satan is willing to accept a
part because he knows that by 8ecuring a part he really gets all.

this sense alone does it correctly

rep!e8ent the original word p.fp'/A+ciu.
which means to be anxiou or to be
full If care. It is rendered in two
paesagee of the Xew Testament by
the term careful.
Martha, thou
art care/It I and troll bled about
many things."
(Luke x. 41.) "Be
careful for nothing."
(Phil. iv, 6.)
Here the term careful
is not used
in its modern sense of paiusto kim],
but it means, as its etymology indicates, full of care. (See also I Cor.
vii. 32-a4.) I would render it in the
pnssage before U8, be 1I0t anxiolls."
The prohibition is not ai(sinst an
excessive degree of anxiety, but simplv against being anxious.
"life more than meat.-ln
the
prohibition of anxiety, two general
objects of anxiety are named-life
and the body; that is, the prolongation of life, and the comfort of the
body. In reference to the former
there nre two specifications, "VI' hat
ye shall cat," lind "what ye shall
drink;"
and ill reference to the
latter, one, .wbat ye shall put on."
The J.lrohibition is supported, in the
remamder of the paragraph, I,y
several forcihle reasons, of which
the first is that life is more than
food," and the body than raiment;
that is, life has more important aims
than to provide food and drink;
and the body has wants mere pressing than the want of raiment.
These are inferior wants, and therefore unworthy of anxiety.
The superior wants are specified below in
verse 33.
26. the fowls of the air.-

Avainst Care about the Necessaries

of Life, 25-34.

25. Take no thought.-Dean

Trench, in his admirable little work
on Bible Revision, has shown clearly
that when our translation was made
the word thought was often used for
melancholu ; and that the expression
take thought, meant to go into a
state of melancholy or despondency.
He quotes from Lord Bacon this
example: "Harris, an alderman in
London, was put in trouble and died
with thought and anxiety before his
business
came to an end." From
one of the Somers Tracts, written
in the reign of Elizabeth, he quotes :
"In five hundred years only two
queens have died in childbirth.
Queen Catharine Parr died rather
of thought."
But still more to the
~oint is an example found in
Shakespeare.
When the conspirators against .lulius Ceesar were discussing the effect which the proposed assassinution would have on
~hrk Antony, Brutus is made to say:
" Alas. good Cassius. do not think of him:
If he love l .esar, all that he can do
1. to him.ell-taU
thQught. aud die for
Cwsar." (Jul. Ca,s. Act lI, Scene Ii.)

These examples illu-trute the expression as used by our translators

who were cotemporaries of Shakespeare. It expresses, not the mental
act of tkinlciiu], but the state of
feeling which results from 1\ despoudent view of the future.
In

-----------

--

Throughout our Engltsh Bible the word

meat mea". j{J()d ill general, au.l not j/uII
alone as in modern usage.

MATTHEW.

[vi. 2i -33.

fowls of the air: for they sow: clothe the grass of the field,
not, neither do they reap, nor I which to day is, and tn morrow
gather into barns; yet your heav-I is cast into the oven, shall he not
enly Father feedeth them.
Are! much more clothe you, 0 ye of
ye not much hetter than they? : httle faith? II Therefore take no
IT Which
of you by taking thought ' thought, saying, What shall we
can add one cubit unto his stat', eat? or, What shall we drink?
ure? ""And why take ye thought 'or, \Vherewithal
shall we be
for raiment?
Consider the lilies : clothed r ., (For after all these
of the field, how they grow; they I things do th 'Uen'tiles seek :) for
toil not, neither do they spin: 'your heavenly Father knoweth
and yet I say unto you, That: that ye have need of all these
even SOl'OIllOO in all his glory! things,
IS But
seek ye first the
was not arrayed
like one of kingdom of God, and his right.
these.
soWherefore, if God so eousness ; awl nil these thillgs
Here is the second reason. The Jews to heat their bake-ovens. The
birds are free from unxiety, although country about -Jerusulem had long
they neither ROW, nor reap, nor ago been .tripped of itAtimber.
gather into barns, Though they do
31, 32. For after all these.none of these things, the heavenly: The fifth reason is, that food. drink
Father feeds them. ~I"II are milch and raiment are the thin;:8 which
better than they; much more cer-; the Gentiles. or the heathen. seck
tainly, then, will God feed them. after. and Christians must be differLet us sow and reap and :rather into ent from them. \Vp have a (;od
barns, then, without allxiet!j.
I who can supply us, and they have
27. can add one cubIt.-'l'he
'I none.
Closely associated with this.
third reason is based 011 the fact is the sixth reason: Your heavenly
that anxiety is uuavailing.
Instead: Father knows that you hnve need
of stature, we should have aae ; for I of all these things."
As he knows
this is the more usual meaning of that we need them, and lUI he is
the Greek word, ~~"",a.,and is Let- I able to supply them, we may expect
tel' suited to the context. If anxiety: to obtain them and be free frum
will not avail to add even a cubit to anxiety.
one's a~e, how idle and impotent I 33. But seek first.-Here
we
it is in reference to the necessiries I learn the true objects of anxiety,
on which life depends I
I and the true method of obtaining
28-30. Consider the lilies.I all that
is lIecessary to the present
'1'he fourth reason, like the two pre- I life. \Ve are to seek, and to seek
ceding, is an argument a fortiori: i first, the kingdom of God. admisIf God clothes the lilies which, sion into it, and the righteousue8s
neither toil nor spin; and if he which he requires of II". If we do
clothes them more beautifully than this we have the promise of him
::-;olomon in all his glory, although 'who feeds the birds and gin'. raithey are of so little value as to Le I ment to the lily, that we shall have
burr ed in the oven, how much more' food and clothing.
The ri,!iltl'Ol1t1will he clothe his people.
The n<'88 which God requires )'ad. to
grass, or rather the herbaqe, is that cheerful and uudistracted inspoken of lUI being cast into the I dustry wuich ulwavs. with tlu- divine
oven. because it was used by the I blesaing, secures f"od uud raiment
I

vi. 34-vii. 5.]

MATTHEW.

69

shall be added unto you. "Take I ment ye judge, ye shall be

therefore
110 thought
for the judged: and with what measure
morrow: for the morrow shall! ye mete, it shall be measured to
take thought for [the things of] you r again]. And why beholditself. Sufficient unto the day est thou the mote that is in thy
is the evil thereof.
brother's eye, but considerest not
VII. 1 Judge 110t,that ye be not the beam that is in thine own
judged. For with what judg- eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy
54
Green,

Rec.
Alford,

Omitted
Tregelles,

by

Lach.,

T.

N, B, G. L, 8,

etc., Old Larin, Vulgate, etc.

S.

Ree.
TIBh., T. S. Green,

2 Q.VT'''''~_Tp,,9''O'eTQ.&

v, Lach.,

gelles.

~eTP'J8ricreTa.&

Allord

Tre-

while we are in health, lind which

helps to surround U8 with 'friends
when WI' come to want.

from ill-will, is prohibited.

It ill
adverse judging, of course, that ill
referred to.

Here is another reason why we

should rid ourselves of anxiety.
Each day brings with it some evil
of its own' if to this we add anxietv about the morrow. we but add
tothe unavoidable evil of to-day.
We can not too greatly admire
the conception of human life conveyed in this paraj!;raph, nor the
inimitable style in which it is expressed.

judgment of U8 III always just,

whether we judge others Justly or
unjustly;
but men will usually
judge us as we judge others. It ia
man, therefore, by whom we will be
judged as we judge others, yet it i,
also true that God will judge without mercy those who show no mercy.
(Jas. ii. 13 )
3-5. Thou hfPocrite.-It is 8
very common thing that men who
pronounce forbidden judgments on
their brethren, possess themselves
in a greater degree the fault which
they condemn
They are satirized
here by the figure of a man with a
beam in his own eye officiously proposing to extract a mote from his
neighbor's ele. This ill hypocrisy,
because it IS assuming to he far
better than we are. The command,
. First cast the beam out of your
own eye," must not be construed 118
requiring us to j!;et rid of all faults
before we attempt to correct others;
for on this condition none would be
qualified for the position of teachers; but it requires that we shall
rid ourselves of a /!=iyen fault preparatory to rebuking that fault in
another.
This lesson is especially
important to public teachers, for
they have power for good only 8.8
their conduct coincides with their
teaching.

34. Sufficient unto the day.-

SECTION

IV.

MISCEI.LANEOUS PRECEPTS,
SERMOS ON THE

VII, 1-12.

J(OU~T-CONTll'UED.

Agaln,t
Judglug,
1-6; A Cantlon,
6;
Prayer Eueoui aged, 7-11; 8UU1U1Sry
3f the Moral Law, 12.

Against Judying, 1-5.

1. Judge not.-The
terms of this
prohibition are universal; but in
the paragraph below (16-20) which
speaks of false prophets, we are
authorized to judge men by their
fruits. Limiting this paragraph by
that, we conclude that only such
judging 8.8 is not required hy 'the
actual conduct of men is here condemned All judging from surmise,
or from insufficient premises, or

2. ye shall be ~udged.-God's

70

MATTHRW.

brother, Let rue pull out the

mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own
eye? 'Thou hypocrite, first cast
out the beam out of thine own
eye; and then shalt thou see
clearly to cast out the mote out'
of thy brother's eye.
Give not that which is holy
unto the tioga. neither cast ye
yuur pearls before swine, lest
they trample them under their
feet, and turn again and rend you.

[vii.

6-11.

'Ask, and it shall be given

you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened
unto you: for everyone
that
asketh receiveth;
and he that
seeketh findeth; and to him that
knoeketh
it shall be 0rnett.
Or what man is there 0 you,
whom if his SOli ask bread, will
he give him a stone?
10 Or if he
ask a fish, will he give him a
serpent?
II If ye then, being
evil, know how to give good

A Caution, 6.
ing them with it, When such men
6. unto the dogs.-In
this pre- are known they are. to h~ R.voide?
ce t there is an allusion to the hoI -Ieaus aete? on this principle I~
m~'ltB cunnected with the service
! often refuaing to nnswe~ the Pharithe altar. Those arts uf the vic- I ~ees. an? the apostle dId. the same
time whioh were tot consumed on I In .turmn~ to the Gentiles wh~n
the altar, were eaten h the rieata their Jew.lsh hearers would ~I'gm
or hy the people; but ~ thej were: tocontr~\(hc~an? t;!~8phe~tl, (~fIJ:nr'
holy no unclean person much less! xy. 2, 3, XXI.23-~ r ; A( ts XIII. 4ti,
an ~nclean brute, was 'allowed to XIX.9.)
eat of them. What WlI8 left, after
Prayer Encollraged, 7-11.
the clean persons had eaten, was
not, as at the close of an ordinary
7. Ask..
seek ...
knock.
meal, cast to the dO~8, but it was -The two latter terms are Ii~urll.burned with lire. (Lev. vi. 24-30; tive expressiona of the same idea
vii. 15-21.) 1'0 give holy things to expressed literally hy the first. Askdogs was to profane them: we are ing God for what we want is in the
here forbidden, then, to use any re- one compared to knocking lit a door
ligious office,work, or ordinance, in for admission; and in till' other, to
such R manner as to degrade or pro- seeking for something which we
Cane it.
wish to find.
pearls
before
Bwine.-The
8. for every one.-The
unithought here is sli"htly different versa! declaration that every one
from the preceding.
If a herd of who asks receives. is modified hy
hungry and ferocious hogs are called I the prescribed conditiolls of I1CC~I'tup to he fed. and instead of grain' able pruyer. v.' e have ulready seen
you throw before them 1\ basket of that we need not uak for forgiveness
pearls, they will not only trample i unless we forgive (vi. 14, 15). We
the pearls under their feet, but in ! also learn that we must Mk in faith
their e~erneRR li,r the expected (JI\8. i. 6, 7); that we must not nsIr.
food they may rush upon you, pull, amiss to j!:rlltifyour lusts (Jas. iv. 3);
you down, and tear you to pieces, I and that WI' must ask aecordiug to
Likewise, some men. when you i the will of Hod (I .John v. 14).
pre811the claims of truth on their I Every one who asks uecordiug to
attention, will not onlv despise the ! these conditions, receives.
truth. but persecute you for annoy- I 9-11. how much more.-Here

of

vii. 12-V~.]

71

gifts unto your children, how

much more shall your Father
which is ill heaven give good
things to them that ask him?
II Therefore
all things whatso-

I ever

ye would that men should

do to you, do ye even 80 to
them: for this is the law and the
prophets.
11 Enter
ye in at the strait

ill un argument from analogy.

It ill ion of hie discourse with a preoep'
assumed that the paternal feeling which include. them all. The iiUe,
..hich prompts UB to give good Golden Rule, which hlUl been u.
thin!;! to our children existe In a tached to thi~ precept, is a fitting
still hi~her degree in God with expression of its value.
reference to his children j and
all things,-Kotwithstanding
the
hence it is argued that he will universal form of this precept, it i.
much more give good things to I obvious that one limitntion must be
those who IUIk him. As it is JeRIl8 understood.
What 1 could rightly
who asautues the Iikeness on which or reasonably wish another to do
the argument rests, we may rely for me, our places being exchanged,
on the correctness of the reason- is what I must do for him, no more.
in/!:j but we must be cautious how '1'0 understand the precer.t otherwe derive ar~umentll of our own wise would be to wake, esus apfrom the amilo~ between God's prove of unreasonable
wiahes, and
attr-ibutes and the corresponding
erect them lUI the standard of right.
chnracteristics of man. We are in 1 must deal with my child, not alconstant danger of fallacious reu- to~cther as I would wish were I
soning
here, because God's attri- the child and he the parent, but 88
hutes are not sufficiently cOIDpre- I could ,ightly wish: and 80 in all
hended to make our deductions the other relations of Iife.
from them reliable.
For example,
this is the law.-The
statement,
this attribute of
feeling
this is the law and the prophets,"
hili! been employe to disprove the I means that in this is condensed all
reality of the eternal punishment that is required by the law and the
with which God himself threatens prophetll as regards our duty to OUI
the sinner, because the paternal fellow-men.
It extends not to the
feeling in man would prevent him ceremonial duties, or ttl the positive
from 80 punishing his own children. precepts of the IHw
The fallncy of the argument consists
in ussummg that the feeling in
~ECTIOX v.
question must work the same results
in I'\"ery particular in God that it
THB
WAY
OF LIFE, YII. 13-29 .
..l_~_ in mnn. But revelation teaches
that ~u.h is not the case.
SERMON ON THE
MOUNT-CONCLUDED.

res:

SlImmary of the J{oral Law, 12.

I ..

The Way a Na rrow 0" ., 1:1,14; How

to Avoid
MbguldHnce,
11>-20; The
Way
Dot by Praye r or
Miracle.
AloneJ!I-23;
'rh WRY Potured out.
24-27; lj;!fecl of tloe !Sermon, 28, 29.

12. Therefore,There is nothin the preced ing paragraph

Cromwhich the precept in this verse
ill drawn lUO u eoncluaion.
The conThe Way a Narrow One, 13, 14.
junction rendered therefore (0"") is
13. at the strait
gate.-Life
not illative, but tranaitiunul.
Inis, eternal life
atead of specifying other moral and destruction-that
here
dlliiel\, JCSU8 here closes this divis- and eternal destruction-are
\nil

72

)tATTHEW.

[vii. 14-21.

good tree hringeth forth good

fruit; but a corrupt tree bring.
eth forth evil fruit. 18 A good
tree can not bring forth evil
fruit, neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit. I. E\'ery
tree that bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire. 00 'Yherefore by their
fruits ye shall know them,
21 Not everyone
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my
Father
which is in heaven.

gate: for wide is the gate, and

broad is the way, that leadeth
to destruction, and many there
be which go in thereat': because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth
unto life, and few there be that
find it.
U Beware
of false prophets,
which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but in wardl y they are
ravening wolves.
18 Ye
shall
know them by their fruits. Do
men gather gnqw"l of thorns, or
figs of thistles 'l n Even so cvery

represented by two walled cities: clothing, it must always be difficult

the one having a wide I!,ate and a I to detect them. In judging th ru by
broad road leading to it; and the their fruits we are doubtless to 01.other, a strait gate approached hy a ! serve hath their conduct as men and
narrow path.
It is implieJ that! the effects of their tcaehin~. If
care and prl'cision are nec!'ssary in : either is predominantly bad, the
order to enter the latter; hence the I man is to be avoided. We Ray prefeu- that find it: but that nunc is: duminantly had, because, lIS a good
needed in order to enter the former; tree may have Rome specimens of
hence the mnny who go in thereat. bad fruit, so maya good teacher.
It is to be hoped that in some
19. hewn down.-The
hewing
future generation the preponder- down of the bad trees and casting
ance will be reversed.
them into the tire indicate the final
How to Avoid Mi.vguidance, 15-20. destruction of the false prophets.
This verse contains a solemn warn15. false prophets.-The
term ing against the persunal amhitiou
prop ilet includes only those who and the pride of "pinion which are
lay cluim to inspiration.
Having the chief incentives to false teachthe appearance of harmlessness, ing. The true path to honor and
here represented hy sheep's cloth- usefulness lies in the most 8crupuing, while secretly filled with mis- lous restriction of our teaching to
chievous purposl's like those of III that which ill true beyond all quet>wolf in the sheepfold. the false tion.
pr(:fhets were well calculated to
lea disciples out of the narrow The Way not by Prayer or Mirades Alone, 21-23.
way. What is true. in this partil"ular. of fulse prophets, is also
21. Lord, Lord.-To say. "Lord,
true of other false teachers, and Lord," is to call on the Lord in
sone(juently the precept i~ in- prayer. While it is almost impostended to guard UM against 1\11 per- sible to overestimate the value of
sons who hy false teaching might prayer when associated with a conlead us astray
sistent life, it has been to" common
16-20. by their fruits.-As
to attrihute to it 11 virtue which it
the false prophet. appear in sheep's docs not po~~e~s. The Phariseee
I

vii. 22-25.]

MATTHEW.

78

a Many will Bay to me in that

day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in
thy name have cast out devils?
and in thy name done many
wonderful works? sa And then
will I profess unto them, I
never knew you: depart from
me, ye that work iniquity,

Therefore whosoever heareth

these sayings or mine, and doeth
them, I will liken him unto a
wise man, which built his house
i upon a rock: :16 and the rain
I descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat
UpOll that house; and it fell not:
for it was founded upon a rock.

were excessively devoted to prayer,

and they led the people tu believe
that every prayerful man would be
saved. 'the Mohammedans and the
Humanists are subject to the same
delusion, as muv be seen in their
punctilious observance uf the forms
~)f praycr while habitually neglectJn~ mun v of the common rules uf
morality.
It is here taught that
prayer, unattended by doing the will
of the Father in heaven, can not
eave us.
doeth
the
will.-Doing
the
will uf God must be understood, not
in the sense uf sinless obedience,
but as including a compliance with
the conditions un which sins are
forgiven. Whether under the old
covenant or the new, sinless obedience is an impossibility; hut obedience to the extent of our ability
amid the weaknesses of the flesh,
accompanied by daily compliance
with the conditions of pardon for
our daily sins, has ever secured the
favor of God.
22. Many will say to me.-In
this verse many who have pruphesied, eaat out demons, and wrought
other miracles, are represented as
seckinl;( admission into heaven, and
8.8 urglllg ill proof of their fitness
the miraculous powers which they
had eJ[erci~ed. The context shows
(\"erse 23) that the exercise of such
powers is nut conclusive proof of
one's ncceptance with God. It is
proof of a commission from God.
and. from the fact that God usually
oolDmissions good men, it estab-

lishes a presumption in favor of a

man's guodness, the Yery presumption expressed in the text; hut such
gifts are no certain proof of good
character.
A bad man, as Bulaum,
might be selected for the exercise
of such powers; and a good man,
like Paul, after having exercised
them, might at length become a
castaway.
(1 Cor. ix. 27.)
23. profess to them.-The
Grcek
word here employed,
0",0)..""1'''''
means to confess, not to prefess.
The appropriateness of the term is
seen 111 the fact that while these
men were working miracles in the
name of the Lord, he appeared to
be accepting them und approving
their lives, but nuw he confesses that
this appearance was not real; it
arose from a misconception on their
part and on that of others.
never
knew
you.-Here
the
word knew, according to a Il ebraistic usage, has the sense of a pproval, or of knuwledge favorable
to the persun in questiou.
Weare warned in this paragraph
against uncandid dealing with our
own hearts, and partial estimate!'
of our own charneters.
Unless we
are well guarded at these two
points we are in constant danger
of self-deception, and of supposlllg
that we are in the narrow way
when we are actually walkinl/: in
the broad road that leads to destruetion.
The Way Poiuted Out, 24-27.

24-27.

Therefor/!

whosoever

74

MArrHEW.

And every one that heareth

these sayings of mine, and doeth
them not, shall be likened unto
11 foolish man, which built
his
house upon the sand: n and the
rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, aud
beat upon that house; ami it
fell: and great was the fall of' it.
heareth.-In
the preceding paragraph it was clearly intimated that
the way of life consisted in doing
the will of our Father in heaven
(verse 21). In this the same lesson is
taught and is made the leading
thought of the paragraph.
The
difference between the two builders
whose houses are used to illustrate
the lesson, is only this, that one
built on solid rock and the other
on sand. Both represent men who
hear the 8ayings of Jesus (24-26);
the latter, those who hear and do
not; the former, those who hear
and duo The rock, then, is doing i
und the sand is doing not. To
enter by the narrow way throu~h
the strait gate, is to do the will
of God; to fail of this doing is to
travel the broad road.
Compliance
with the conditions of pardon must
of course have its proper place in
the doing. (See above on 21.)

[vii. 26-29.

And it carne to pass, when

Je'sU8 had ended these sayings,
the people were astonished at his
doctrine: for he taught them
as one having authority, and not
lIB I th e: tileir I scribes.
211 .IiT Added by Lach., Tiach., T. 8..
Green, Alford, Tregclle.;. 1(. B. II..~, 1, is,
22, ete., H. 8yrl..." Sahidic, Coptic.

enabling him to 81\Y, even when

adding to the law of God itself, "I
Ray unto you."
Well mig/>t thi.
astonish a people who, though they
had learned to respect his goodnese
of character, were not yet believe .
in hia divinity.
ARGUlIBNT

or

THIl:

I:;EkMO!ol

ox

THB

MOUNT.

No doubt Matthew's chief object

in reporting this sermon was to put
on record the lessons which it
teaches; but his closing remark in
which he states its effect on the
people (28, 29) shows that he had
not lost 8ight of the line of argument which pervades the other
parts of his narrative.
Havin/! in
previous sections exhil.ited ,I"8U8
as the actual Son of Undo he here
represents him as speaking with
authority suited to his divine nature.
If he was the Son of Ol)d. he could
not properly speak with less auEffect of the Sermon, 28, 29.
thority; and if he was not. it WIUl
the extreme of madness aud wick28, 29. as one having author- edness for him to speak as he did.
ity.-The
most notable effect of The latter conclusion is incunsiatent
the preceding sermon on the people with the entire course of his life,
who heard it, was the astonishment
and we are forced to the only alterproduced by a einzle feature of it, native, that he was conscious of III)'
the authority
with which .Iesus ing the actual Son of the living God,
taught. The authority assumed was
absolute-the
authority which belouzs to God alone. (t was not thut
!:;ECTION VI..
of the scribes, who spake by the
authority of Mosea: nor that of A HIl:RIE8OFMIRACU8,VIII. I-IX. 35.
Moses himself, whose expression
was, 'I'hus saith the Lord;" but it A
.~jJ; I~~ ~~;:~;
WR.8 authority
inherent in himself,
House, 14-17; Stilling
the Tempest.,

t~roe:,:~:~~~~~:
~~~~!

viii. 1-6.]

~IATTHE\\,.

V III. I When be WII8 come

down from the mountain,
great
multitudes followed him. I And,
behold, there Icame: drew near I
a leper
and worshiped
him,
saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou
canst make me clean,
I And
[J e'sus 1 put forth his hand, and
touched' him, saying, I will; be
thou clean.
Alii I immediately
his leprosy was cleansed.
AmI
2 ~A8". &0. "po".A8". Lach Tisch . T.
~ Green, Alford, Tregeltes.
I '!oJ",,;, &C.
Omitted
by Lach.,
T1acll., T. S. Green, Altord. Trege.Ies,
18-27; Demons Ca..t Out, 211-:>4;HealIng a Para lyt ic In Cape ruuum,
ix,
1-11: Matthew's
Call a nd Fe .
t, IJ..-Ia;
QU"KI.lon about
F .tl ng, 14-1.; The
iluler's
Daughter
aud the Bloody
I11SU6,
UI-26.i.. Two Rliuu Men Heated,
17-31; The Dumb Demoutac, ~').

d Leper CleU1l8ttl. 1-4.

(?tRrk i.
4()-45;
Luke v. 1:.!-16.)

1. great

multitudes.-The

!!reat

multitudes that now followed Jesus

are mentioned not only to show his
popularity at this time, but also to

emphasize the fact that the miracles

ahout to be described were performed in the pre8ence of many
witneeaes.

2. and worshiped
him.-The
Grl'ek
word rendered
worahip
(",~o~"""'w) is uaed both for the mere
obeisance paid to a man of superior
rank. and the ~upretue hom a/! paid
to Uod. Here it I~ used in the lower
sense: for the leper, being a .Ip.w,
and havill/! no adequate conception
of the divinity of .res us, would not
pav to him the homage due to God.
If thou wilt.-Convinced
by tbe
previous miracles which he had
either witnessed or heard of, that
Jesus could make him clean: the
only question in the man's mind
was, Will he do it? hence the words,
If thou wilt, thou camt."

76

Je'su8 saith unto him, See thou

tell no man;
but go thy way,
shew thyself to the priest, and
offer the gift that Mo'ses commanded,
for a testimony
unto
them.
Alld when [Je'sus] WII8 entered into Caper'naum,
there
came unto him a centurion,
beseeching him, 'and saying, Lord,
my servant
lieth at home sick
of' the palsy, grievously
tor1\ '0; '."".;; Ret: . ..v...; Ttsch., T. S. GreeD.
",; ;; Lach., Alford, Tregellea.

3. andtouchedhim.-Tbetouch
of a leper rendered a person legally
unclean. and put him to the inconvenience of a leguJ cleansing.
That
-Iesus touched this man in healing
him WIlS therefore an additional
proof of his eompassion.
4. tell no man.-This
is the firl't
mention of a prohibition which we
will meet with frequently as we proceed with Matthew's narrative.
It
is accounted for by the necessity of
guarding against such undue excitement among the people as might
have provoked an interference from
the military authorities, and such
as would have rendered the people
incapable of calm thought in reference to the teachin~1I of Jesus.
(Comp. Mark i. 45.) Sometimes, as
occasion required, he reversed his
course. and commanded men to go
and tell what he had done for them.
(See Mark v. 19. 20.)
For other remarks on this miracle,
see the parallel in Mark, i. 44.
Healing a Centurion'6 Servant. 5-13.
(Luke viii. i-ioi

5. a centurion.-An
officer of
the Roman army, called a centurion
from centum, a hundred, because
he commanded one hundred men.
This centurion W88 a foreigner (10),
and WIlB probably connected with a

MATTHEW.

16

men ted.
T [And
J e'sus] saith
unto him, I will come and heal
him. The centurion answered
and said, Lord, I am not worthy
that thou shouldest come under
my roof: but speak I the word:
with a word I only and my servant shall be healed. g For I am
a man under authority, having
7 ;, 'I~O'oi). Rec.
Omitted by Lach.,
Tisch .. T. ::l. Green, Alford.
8 eur~ A61'o Rec.
fj:rri '\0Y'f' Lach., 'I'Isch.,
T. S. ureen, Alford, Tregel les, N, H, C, E, F,
It.. Ll lal, S, V,

v, x. ~. etc.

garrillon which kept the town of

Capernaum.
8, I am not worthy.-The
centurion knew that it was considered
unlawful for a Jew to go into the
house of a Gentile, and that this
was Oil account of the sanctity
which they desired to maintain.
Whatever he may have thought of
this as regards the Pharisees, he
attributed to .lesus so high 0. degree
of sanctity that he thought the doctrine certainly true in reference to
him.
9. under a.uthority.-Thl)re
is
peculiar force in the expression
under authority. If the centurion,
who was under authority to his
superior officers, could still say to
those under him, "Go," and" Come,"
much more could Jesus, who appeared to be under no authority,
command the powers of life and
death to go and come at his bidding.
The man reasoned well.
10. 80 great faith.-The
greatness of his faith was shown tartly
in his belief that Jesus eoul heal
the servant by a word without going into the house; but chiefly in
his lofty conception of the dignity
of Jesus as compared with himself
Men of no faith regard Jesus and
his religion lUI unworthy of them;
faith reverses the scales of judgment, and the greater one's faith in
Jellus, the less his comparative ellti-

[viii. 1-11.

soldiers under me: and I say to

this man, Go, and he goeth;
and to another, Come, and he
cometh; and to my servant, Do
this, and he doeth it. IWhen
Je'sus heard it, he marveled,
and said to them that followed,
Verily I say unto you, I have
not found so great faith, no, not
in Is'rael. 11 And I say unto
you. That many shall come from
the east and west, and shall Bit
down with A'braham, aud I'S8JlC,
mate of himself-he
goes down 8.11
Jesus goes up.
he marveled.--Jesu8
had all the
feelings which are common to men,
and consequently he was capable,
like other men, of bein~ astouished.
If this seems to conflict with any
theory concerning his nature, we
should remember
that it is one of
the facts to be considered in forming our theory.
The cause of
astonishment
was not merely the
greatness of the man's faith, but
that it was such faith as he had not
found, "no, not in Ierael:"
That
an Israelite, educated under the law
and the prophets, and prepared for
the Lord by the preaching of John,
should have ready faith in .lesus,
was to be expected;
but this man,
with the greatest faith yet exhibited, was a Gentile, reared in
hereditary
heathenism.
The remark of Jesus was a severe rehuke
to the .Iews,
We may observe, incidentally, that the surprise of Jesus
is inconsistent with the theory that
he had himself, bl a direct operation of the Spirit, wrou~ht this
great faith in the centurion; if he
had he could not have marveled.
11. from the east and west.This verse contains a prediction of
the conversion of the Gentiles, and
was very. naturally su~p;ested by thfl
great faith of the Gentile centurioD.

rui, 12-16 ]

MATTHEW

and J a'cob, III the kingdom of

heaven
II But the cluldren
of
the kmgdoru shall be cast out
into outer darkness:
there shall
be \\eeplllg
and gnru,hlllg
of
teeth.
I' And Je'8us said unto
the centurron,
Go thy \\ay;
and] as thou hast believed, so
be i1. done unto thee.
And

13 '4' }{,-r
Omitted by Lach, T. 8
Gre eu Altord
11 AUTOU Re Omitted by Lach T S
OreLn Tregeile8

77

11m, the I servant was healed m

the selfsame hour.
lOAmi when Je'sus was come
iuto Pe'ter's
house, he -a w his
w ite's mother
lmd and -ick of
a fever,
And he touclu d her
hand, and the fev er left her :
and she arose, and muu-tr-rod
unto I them
hun I
I' \\ hell
tile even was come, till') brought

15
I &reen,

Ree
4UT
Lach
Altord Trege)lea.

AUTO

Ttsch

12 children of the krng dom I was orunnnlly In Bethsaidu

\\ hieh
-'I he Jews were cluldren of the W.l8 a suburb of Capernaurn
md It
kmzdom
' In the sense that they I may 8tIlI have been there lit thll
were children
and he.irs of those to time
(See .John I 45 und nr t( on
whom the J..lniIdom was orl!!lnally
Mark I 2\!)
promrsed
1'0 them
It was nrst
his WIfe's mother -The
text
offe red and It WlS bee ruse thev re- shows that
Peter
WIlS a murr icd
jectr-d It that thev were to be '"cast
man and keeping
house
and that
out Into outer d irkness ' No doubt
his mother 10 law was hvnu; \\ ith
thlB PT{>dJCtlOn of JesuR was qurte hun
111s brother
Andrew
ilso
unwelcome
to hIS hearers
hved In the same hou-e
\\ hat
outer darkness -The
kingdom
provr-ron was m ide for Ill. t.umly
of heav en III which many Gentiles
w hen he left all to follow .lesu we
were to Sit down With Abraham
are not mformed , but at a hte
Is-inc and Jacob (verse 11) must period of apostolic
history
he W 18
be the kingdom in It~ final state of strll
leading about a srster Wile
glory
for these p-itrrarchs hved too (1 COl IX 5)
soon to Sit down ID the earthly
15 the fever left her -1 he
kingdom
The outerd rrk uess then,
fever was so high that the patient
which 1M contr-isted With It und into was prostrated
and bedfast
) ct lit
w h u.h those 11'1' to be cast out who the touch. of .lesus
she arose and
'lre not idrmtred
Into the kingdom
I mrmstered
to them bemg mstantly
must rt'prPRpnt the fin-il pumshruent
restored to both health and strength
of tho w u.ked
WeeplI,p; and p;na~h-l1t
W'lS Impossible
for the wrtnesses
In/! of tr-eth 'lre expressive of sorrow
to doubt that the cure was nnr ICOand ( f 'lnl!ul_h
Ilous

13 as thou hast believed - I

The centurron
behoved
that .Iesus
could heal his sen ant hy spe'lkmg
the word Without p;mn,.! Into the
house and a- hI' heheved
It came
to 1''l'B he rctur ned lilt" the hou-,e
and found the servant wc ll

16 When the even was come.

-See

note on ~hrk

I dJ

I possessed With devils

I erly WIth demonThere

-Proph only
one devil and he IS never desrg
nutcd
m the Greek by the word
[,0.,1-' ) here tr-mvlated
dCr:l111
Il.
14-1('1
k
Till'
term
w as applIed
by the
Ourea a tnt
leer
S (JIlse,
I.' ar G k
I
r
d
I 2\1-34
Luke IV 3'\-41)
ree 8 to t rerr m rer ior etttes Borne
of whom were the offsprmg of the
14 Peter s house -Pet, r s home ~ods, and Borne the deified B}mts

I(

78

MATrHBW.

lviii, 1t,

18.

unto him many that were pos- was spoken by Esa'ias the
sessed with devils: and he cast prophet, saying, Himself took
out the spirits with his word, our infirmities, and hare our
and healed all that were sick: sicknesses.
It that it might be fulfilled which I
UI Now when .Ie'sus saw great
of dead men.
On this account Paul
by a foreign
spirit,
and not the
says that "The
things which the mere effect of disease superstitiously
Gentiles
sacrifice, they sacrifice un- regarded
ILl<
demon-poesesaion.
ill
to demons and not to God." (1 Cor. proved
\,y the milliner in which
x. 2U.) He also said to the Atheni.1t'''1Is dealt with the d mons, and
ans,
.. I perceive
that
you
are by the superi r intelligence
which
(~"tJ,~a,.<w"'1"P""s) very much given the demons
displayed.
(801' tbe
to demon-worship."
(Acts xvii. 22.) notes 011 xvii Ill; Mark v. 15-IS;
Some of the same Athenians
had vii. 32.)
~i/llilar
diseases
of the
just concluded that Paul was him- body, and mental aberrations
Himself a proeluimer
of foreign demons ilar to those produced
by the de(; ~a,.o.,
v), because he spoke mons, occurred
then from natural
of Jesus and the resurrection-e-thut
I causes, as they occur now; but all
is, of Jesus as one who had died I such
examples
are distinguished
and risen agaiu. (lb. 18.) Governed
from demon-possession
by the nl
by the same conception,
Festus,
sence
of
marks
of intelliuenee
when
he Jearned
that
the dis- and will ill the CI\UMtlH of the affii,,'
pute betwcen
Paul and the .Jews tion.
wu..~ about
one Jesus
who was
17. took our infirmities.-Took
dead and whom Paul affirmed to be away our infirmities
und .. hore our
alive,"
concluded
that
it WllII a i sicknessee."
hy lu-ulinj; thorn.
The
question
about their (~"'1t~a'f'-0.,as) connection
(Hi) -huws that th iH i~
demon-ioorsbip, (Acts xxv. 1\l.) In the meaning.
Thi is not a litr-rul
the Jewish usage of the terra it is quotation
from Isaiah (1"1l liii 4).
applied
exclusively
to the departed
but it expresses,
without exhlluHting
spirits
of wicked
men.
(See Jo- tbe prophet's meuniug.
The prophet
sephua, Wars, B. Vll. ch, vi. ~ 3.) referred,
not merely to the cure of
Thi~ usage wa.s adopted
by JeMus l.odily and mental di.elU<l'8 by Jesus,
and the apostles, and consequently
hut also and chietly to the final
all that is said of demons
in the suffer inus
of
.lesus
hy which
New Testament
agrees with it.
In our
spiritual
ruuladies
mlly be
wha.t way
these
wicked
spirits
healed.
gl\in('d possession
of men;
under
what condition
of mind or body a StilliJl.<! the Temp" .t, Il'-:!i. (:\lark
per8nn was exposed to the POSHI'Siv. 3,')-41; Luke viii. :!'2-~'i; ix.
aion : what degree of natural
cun57-62.)
8,jou~np"i\ WIll' still retained
hy the
18. saw great
multitudes.demouiue ; and at what periods of When
the multitude about J,,~U"
history
this Htr,\n~e phenomenon
became too )(rclLt he withdrew
from
be~an
and ended,
are questions
them for the slim,' reuson which led
which remain
A.S yet una.nswered.
him to for hid certain
persontl to
That the phenomenon
Wll.l!,
how- speak of his ures
(Comp. ve r se 4.)
ever, as it is represented
on the To crOMR the lake was an ea~v
sncred
page, an actual
posscseion
method of escape, and it was Ireof a person',
faculties
and powers, quently adopted.

viii. 19-24.]

MATTHEW.

multitudes shout him, he gave

commandment to depart unto
the other side. " And a certain
scribe came, and said unto hun,
Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goesL
And
Je'tlus saith unto him, The foxes
have holes, and the birds of the
air have nests ; but the HIm (If
2J . Rft
Omitted br Lach . 1'L.ch..
T " Green. Tregelles.

II

i9

man hath not where to la~ hili

head. II And another of lns :
the I disciples said unto
un,
Lord, suffer me first to go and
bury my father. But Je'bus
said unto huu, Follow me; and
let the dead bury their dead.
'" A 11<1 \\ hell he \\II.~ entered into
a "hip, his disciples followed
him. And, behold, there ar<~se
11 greut tem ve"t III the :lell, Ill-

19, 20. I WIll follow thee.not only to assist In Pll) Ill!!: respect
The scrrbe who proposed this was a to the dead, but to be Iorcuiost In
discrple (comp 21), but not one 01 it, but the call on this dl<l.,lple came
those whom J eSU8 had commanded
into direet
conflict with the coui
to forsake all and lollow hI/II
He mand of Jesus, .. Folluw me,"
and
sems to have desrred
to ~o lUI a he was taught that even the 1lI0,t
guest, but Jesus gently declines his solemn and tender duties of sOlOl.d
"Olllp,my by ~elh",; h un t,l.l[ 1I111d,e hfe must gIve way to a command of
tIll' be,IRts and
thp loll d~ he h,l" no Jesus.
The case IS an extreme one,
place of shelter. and can not, thereand on this account
the le-son it
tore, entertain
hIS trrends
We thus teaches
has greater
emphasis
It
Incidentally
learn rJldt .JI'8U~ WII.8 should be noted, 11.8 partly illustranow" ithout a home, and that lor tive of the case, that to asarst at Il
loud and ludgllll! he was dependent
funeral made a mall unclean,
and
011 the
hosprt lit) 01 the people.
that not less than seven davs w er e
We lind huu Ir.:quelltly
catlllg by requisite
for Ins purifk atlO~
TIns
mvuanon
111tln- houses 01 his ene- would reqUire a cousidernble
d .l,IY
IDles. but sl"cl'lug
In those of his on the part of the drserple
(;-;e
frrends
~ um XIX I J -:!:! )
21, 22. another
of the disciWe have 10 tlus incident Il -u rkples.-Thlb
1lI,U\ \\.L" doubtless
oue ing exhibiuon
of the extremes
01 the tw- Ivn, uud It lilt.:; been con- which
met in Jesus
lIere 18 aujectur ed wub a go"d dl'gree
of thority 11.8 exactmg
11.8 that
01 an
prob.iluhty
th.Lt he WII.8 .l.nues or I eastern
autoci at, combined
with
John Zebpdee being till' father who poverty as extreme
as that of an
was to be hurred
Comp xx 20, eastern be~ar
The poverty IS conwhere Salome is called" the mother
fessed Without a blush, lind the auof Zebedee ~ children,"
instead of thority is asserted"
ithout an apolZebt:da S uuf e, implying that Zebe- ogy
I n any other than the Son of
dee W.18 no l<lnger In II1g
In the God these two extremes
could not
answer of -Iesus there is a play on have met without the most ludicrous
the term dwd
It WM a man abaurduy
phvsll'.lily
dead
who was to be
23, 24. he was asleep.-The
bU~Id but those who were to bury deep sleep into which .lesua fell
him were dead In another sense, in during the short vOY"l!e, a sleep so
a sense 111which the disciple
was profound
that the norse of the ternot dead, that 18, they were dead to rinc storm and the rolhng of the
Jesus
Under
ordinary
circumvessel failed to awake him, is aostance.
it is proper for a disciple
COUllted for by the latlgue and the

80

MArrHEW.

[viii.

25-34.

sornuch that the ship was co v- [J e' sus,] thou Son of God? art
ered with the waves:
but he thou come hither to torment us
was asleep.
16 And
I his disci- before the time ~ ao And there
pies:
they I came to him, and was a g()od w ay off from them
awoke him, saying, Lora, 81lVe I an herd of' many swine feeding.
[us J' we perish,
And
he 51:-30 the devils besought
him,
saith unto them, Why are ye baying,
If thou cast us out,
fearful,
0 ye of little
faith? I I sutler U8 to go away: send tl$ i
Then he arose, and rebuked the i iuto the herd uf swine.
53 And
winds ami the sea; and there he said unto them, Go.
And
was a great calm.
21 But
the I when they were come out, they
men marveled,
saying,
\Vhat went into the herd of swine:
manner of man is this, that even and, behold, the whole herd of
the winds and the sea obey swine ran violently down a steep
him!
place into the sea, and perished
JIj Ami
"hen be was come to ill the waters.
U And
they that
the other side into the country
kept them fled, and went their
of the Ger'gesenes,
there met ways into the city, and told
him two possessed with devils, I every thing, and what was becoming out of the tombs, exceed- fallen to the possessed of the
ing fierce, so that no man might devils.
And, behold, the whole
pass by that way.
And, be- city came out to meet Je'sus:
hold, they cried out, saying, and when they saw him, they
What have we to do with thee, besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

~
Ol J,L40l1T(U
a.VTOU &e. Omitted by T.
S. Green, Tregelles, N. B, a, c. if, k, I, etc.,
Coptic, Babirhc, etc.
~5 ~I'-ii. Roc. Omitted by Lach , Tisch.,
T. S. Green, Alfonl, Tregelles.
:l9 'I~O'ouRee. Omitted hy Lach . Tisch.,
T 8. Green. Alford, Tregel les.

nervous exhaustion consequent on

his preaching to the great multitude. lIe was the only one asleep
on the vessel.

25, 26. 0 ye of little faith,-

The terror of the disciples would

have been excusable but for the
presence of Jesus. With him in
the vessel it argued weakness of
faith, because the many miracles
which he had wrought should have
convinced them that he had power
over the winds and the waves.
Notice, here, that fear and faith
atand in opposition to each other.
27, the men marveled.-Their
a.stonishment when Jesus calmed
the tempest by his word ill another

31 ~1f''Tp~l/Iov ~,.,.,., G1tfA.8fi., Rec, 41fO<TTe:I.AO.

~I'-ii<,Lach., Tisch, T. S. Greeu, Alford.
'I'regelles, N, B. I, :.!'l, H. Syriac, Sahrdie,
Coptic, Vulgate, etc.

evidence of weak faith. Had they

realized the fullness of his divine
power, they would have been surprised at nothing he did It is well,
however. that he adapted himself to
the weakness of human faith, by
working so /-!:reata variety of miracles as to leave even the weakest
disciple no room to doubt that with
him all things are possible.
Demons Cast Out, 2R-34. ('lark
1-20, Luke viii, 26-40.)

T.

For comments on this miracle set.

the notes on Mark v. l-:W, where
all the details here given are repeated, and oth,'rs of importance
are added.

ix. 1-8.]

MATTHEW.

IX. 1 Anu he entered into a

ship, lind passed over, and came
into his own city.
t And,
behold, they hrought to him a man
sick of the palsy, lying on a bed:
and Je'sus seeing their faith said
unto the sick of the palsy; Son,
be of good cheer; thy sins be
forgi ven [thee].
I And, behold,
certain of the scribes said within
themselves,
This man blasphemeth. And .Ie'sUBknowing
their thoughts said, Wherefore
think ye evil in your hearts?

81

'For whether is easier, to say,

Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to
say, Arise, and walk.? I But
that ye may know that the SOD
of man hath power on earth to
forgive sins, (then saith he to
the sick of the palsy,) Arise,
take up thy bed, and go unto
thine house.
T And
he arose,
and departed to his house. 8 But
when the multitude saw it, they
Imarveled: were afraid I, and
8 i8a.UIL4CTa.1I
Bee.
iq,o{JYj9l)(TtJ.II,
Lach.,
Tisch T. S. Green. Alford. 1 regelles, N. B,
D, I, 22. 83, 59, 118, P. Byriao, Coptic,
Sahidlc, ,a,:thiopic, Old Latin, Vnlgate
etc.

'1. ITO. Rtc. Oml tted by Lach., Tisch T.

S. Green, Alford. 'I'regelles,

it was illogically drawn from their

Healin[l the Paratutic ill Caper- premises, but because their premise.
flaUm, ix. 1-8.
(:\llIrk ii. 1-12; were wrong in that they denied the
Luke v. 17-26.)
divinity of Jesus.
1. his own city.-At
the be5. whether is easier.-This
use
ginninf, of his ministry in Galilee of whether is now obsolete, having
Jesus eft Nazareth and came and been supplanted by which. The
dwelt in Capernaum (iv. 12, 13), scribes could not deny that it WIUl
and the latter was thenceforward as easy to say with effect to the
"his own city."
man, "Thy sins are forgiven;" as
2. thy sins be forgiven.-As
to say, "Arise and walk."
The
the terms of pardon prescribed in power to work miracles docs not in
the law were yet in full force, this Itself imply the authority to forgive
speech of Jesus was a ~urprising sins; but it does when the authorassertion of authority.
It was also ity is asserted and the miracles arA
exceptional in the ministry of Jesus; wrought in proof of it.
for only on three recorded occa6. that ye may know.-Assions did he thus forgive sins. (See suming the only possible answer to
Luke vii. 48; xxiii. 43.) Being ex- his question as granted, he now
ceptional, and not the established demonstrates his pow!'r to forgive
method of pardon, it must have sins by commanding the man who
been designed for a special purpose. was paralyzed to arise from his bed,
The purpose is plainly declared in and take it up, and go home. He
verse 6 below.
had been brought there on his bed,
3. This man blasphemeth.perfectly helpless; he returns, car'I'he scribes were right in charging rying the bed in his arms. The
him with blasphemy if he was not proof was demonstrative, showing
the Son of God. He doubtless made that Jesus was in the highest sense
the remark for the purpose of form- a Savior, because he could save men
ing this issue, and thereby preparing from their sins as well as from the
his hearers for the demonstration diseases of the body, the stormy elowhich followed.
ments of the sea, and the pO\Hr or
I. think ye evil.-The thought, demons .
..Ir the serlbes was evil, not because I 8. they were afraid.-JIere
i.

MATIHEW.

82

[ix. 9-13

glorified God, which had given with publicans and sinners?

such power unto men.
11 But when Je'sus
heard that,
And lUI Je'sus passed forth he said [unto them], They that
&om thence, he saw a man, be whole need not a physician,
named Mat'thew, sitting at the but they that are sick. II But
receipt of custom : and he saith go ye and learn what that
unto him, Follow me. And he rneaneth, I will have mercy,
arose, and followed him. 10 And ! and not sacrifice: fur I am not
it came to pa.."Il, as Je'sus sat at I' come to call the righteous, but
meat in the house, behold, many sinners [to repentance].
publicans and sinners came and 12 ':"-0;.1/. Omitted by L&ch., n..ch.,
sat down with him and his disci- T. 8. Green, Alford, Tregellee.
18
Bee. Omitted by LaclL,
ples. II And when the Phar'isees TIsch.,
T. S. Green, Alford, TregeUe.. te,
saw it, they said unto his disci- D, V, .l>. 1, 22,33,118, 21>.etc., P. Syrlac,
Pn. Syrlac,
<Ethiopic, Armenian,
Old
ples, Why eateth your Master Latin,
Vulgate, etc.

.i."

the same fear that W88 exhibited by

the Gergesenes
(viii. 34); but instead of asking Jesus to leave their
country, the people" glorified God
who had given such power to men."
Notice here ~tatthew'8 peculiar use
of the plural.
It was to the man,
Jesus, that the power W88 /!:iven,
and to men only 88 he was contemplated 11.8one of the race.
For remarks
on the faith dillpia Jed by the friends of the r.aralytic, see the note on Mark ii. 5,1
where the details
are more fully'
stated,

Matthew'8 Call and Feast, 9-13.

(:\lark ii. 15-17; Luke v. 29-32.)

conclude, from the apparent abruptness of his movement, that he nes

lected to settle the aceounta of h18
office. An honest settlement of socounts was indispensable
to a good
name in the future.
10. at meat in the house.From }lark ii. 15, and Luke v. 29,
we learn that this fe88t W88 in
MI\tthew'8
own house.
It W!1.8 a
kind of farewell feast, preparatory
to leaving all and following JeMul.
The publicans
and dinners
who
made up the company were his old
ussociates,
and the only pel'llOllll,
except Jesus and his oompanions,
who would honor Matthew',
invitft..

tion.
the receipt
of custom.-The
11. with publicans
and
sinGreek word (1',"";' ov ~ here rendered
ners.-Tbe
publicans
and other
"receipt
of custom.'
means the sinners
habitually
lIc!-llected the
law and the traditions
lD regard
to
office of publican." or, "a collector's
office."
:Matthew \\'1\8 a publican
legal purifications, and therefure the
(x. 3), and WIl.8 receiving the taxes Phar-isees regarded it as incompatihie with religious purity to associate
1L~~c~~cdhy the Roman government.
with them.
( COlli 1'. notes on v. 46 . .{7.)
12, 13. he said.-Hnd
JeRu,
he arose and followed
him.That
:\[atthew
promptly
obe~ed been unable to vindicate himself in
his
when .'CBUB said" Follow me: is reference to these associntions.
cause would have been damaged in
proof that he WIl.8ILlready a disciple.
Be now becomes one of the imine- the esrimution of many guod perHut he here presents three
diate personal
attendants
of the sons.
brief arguments which ,Lre 80 conLord'/,reparatory
to being appointed
one fl the twelve.
We are not to clusive, and 80 tersely expressed,

9.

is, 14-17.]

MATTHEW.

Then carne to him the discipies of .J olin, saying, Why do

we and the Phar'iaees
fast oft,
hut thy disciples fiU!t Bot? UAmi
Je'sus said unto them, Can the
children
of the bridechamber
mourn, as long as the bridegroom ill with them?
But the
days will come, when the bride-

83

groom shall be taken from them,

and then shall they fast.
18 No
Dian putteth a piece of new cloth
unto an old garment,
for thai
I which is put ill to fill it up takl eth from the garment,
and the
,I ren t is made worse.
11 ~ either
do men put new wine into old
bottles:
else the bottles break,
II

that they must have taken his ae- looked,

It shows that the question
eusers by surprise.
First, his office \ WII8 not intended
118 a captious
being analogous to that of a physi-I objection, but as an honest inquiry:
cian who Visits the sick and not for although
the disciplea of John
the well, sinners
are the very per- were not, as yet, identical with those
lIonll whom he should visit. ,secolld, of Jesus, we can not class them
God himself had said in the Scriptamong the enemies of Jesus.
Fa.~t
ures. .. 1 will have mercy and not sao- in/l: twice in the week was regarded
rifice"-a
Hebraism,
which means,
b'y the Pharisees
as a mark of supe"I will have mercy in preference to rror piety (Luke xviii. 12), and the
sucrifloe."
(H08. vi. 6.) The mercy disciples
of John
seem
tu ha\ e
shown to these publicans
and sin- agreed in this matter with the Pharners by mingling
with them for isees.
Indeed. John himself praetheir ~ood, WII8 more acceptable
to ticed what ruay be re~arded
"" a
Gnd than the saceiflces of the altar,
continual
fast, eating only locusta
(:'oe the context in Hosea.)
Third, and wild hone,Y, and this was well
.. I am not come to cull the rightcalculated
to ImpreMs his disciples
'.I< illS, but sinners."
Hi8 call was a with great respect
for fll8tin)(
It
eall to repentance.
and therefore
appeared
to them, therefore,
ns a
ainriers alone were those to whom I serious defect in the religious
life
he should go; and the I!reater the I of .lesus and his disci pi es, that tlwy
sinner s, the I!reater the need that he paid no respect to the r!'gular fast
should he amon!!; them.
It is im-I days. The feust at Matthew's house,
p,,,.ible
to conceive
a more com- which occurred
on s flUlt day (see
plete vindication,
or one more hap- note on Mark ii. 18), very naturally
f,il\' es pressed
brought the matter up for cunsjder(t ~h"uld be observed. before we arion, becuus it shocked the sensidismiss this incident.
that neither
bility of the objectors.
the example nor the ar)(Umentti of
15-17. Jesus said unto them..lesus ju"tify
u- in keeping
com- JeSU8 reduces the objection
to an
pany with bad people, except
for absurdity
bv three argumcuts
from
the purpo"e of dllin)! them goodanalogy
}'ir .t, he refers to the
the purposE.' for which the phyaician
wl'dding
customs of the day, and
vibit. the sick
demands.
"Can the children of the
.
.
,.
, bridechamher"-that
is. the invited
Qlles/IOli
abou!
} a.tlIIg.
14-17'1
.. t
dl'
-"mourn
a.
k ii l~ .,., I k
"'j 39)
gues"" a a we f mg
, ('1
.J ar
II. "---,
.u e v.). - , I long as the hridegroom
is with

14. the disciples

of John.-

The fact that the question

about
fasting WII8 propounded
by the disciplea of John should not be over-

them?"
While he remained
with
his disciples
th .y were enjoying a
wedding
feuat, and it ",ould be abaurd to f!l.l!t us if they were mourn-

84

MATTHEW.

[ix. 18-22.

and the wine runneth out, and arose, and followed him, and so
the bottles perish:
but they put did his disciples.
10And,
behold,
new wine into new bottles, and a woman, which was diseased
both are preserved.
with an issue of blood twelve
18 While he spake
these things years, came behind
him, and
unto them, behold, there I came:
touched
the hem of his garcame in I a certain ruler and wor-I meut : .1 for she said within
shi~ed him, saying, My daugh-, herself, if I may but touch his
ter IS even now dead, but come I garment, I shall he whole. But
and lay thy hand upon her, and Je'sus
turned
him about, and
she shall live.
18 And
Je'sus
when he saw
her,
he said,
DaUghter,
be of good comfort;
18 i.A6~" R. ei(uA8i.J .. Tisch., T. S. Green,
Alford.
thy aith hath made thee whole
ing.
But when he should leave sus here argue that the old dispenthem they would fast, because that sation was better than the new
would be a time of Borrow. Sec- Hut the argument is the same as in
ondb), he draws an argument from the first example.
It showa that it
the absurdity of putting a patch of would have been absurdly inappronew (properly rendered unfulled)
priate to the occasion for his discicloth on an old garment.
The nn- ples to fast. 8.8 much 80 as to mourn
fulled piece, never having been at .1 wedding, to patch an old garshrunk, would shrink the first time ment with unfulled cloth, or to put
it got wet, and would tear open the new wine into old bottles. The arreut still wider.
Thirdly, it would guments not only vindicated hi- disbe equally absurd to put new wine ciples, but taught John's disciples
into old bottles. The bottles bein~ that fasting has value only wh('n
made of goat skins, an old one had i~ is demanded by a suitable occnlittle strength and no elasticity, and sron,
therefore the fermentation of new
The Ruter' Daughter
and the
wine would burst it. The argument
drawn from these two examples is
Rloody Issue, J8-~6. (Mark v.
22--43; Luke viii. 41--56.)
not, as some have supposed, that it
would be absurd to patch the old
Jewish garment with the unfulled
18. a certain ruler.-Ruler
of
cloth of the gospel, or to put the a synago)!Ue. (~f,~rk v. 22.) Even
new wine of the gospel into the old men of this cluss were readv to
Jewish bottles; for the question at honor Jesu~ when they were i~ disissue was not one concern inz the tress and wanted his aid. So it ie
proper relation of the gospel dis- with sinners ~encrally
pen-arion to the Jewish law, but
even now dead.-On
this exon!' concerning the propriety of pression see note on Mark v, ~3
faatinu on a certain occasion. More20-22.-".,ee
for remarks on the
over, in Luke's report of this an- cure of the bloody issue the notes
swer we find the additional argu- on Mnrk v. 2,'i-~4,where the account
ment, "No man, having drunk old i is more elahorate than here. Mat.
wine, straightway deaireth new; for I thew mentions it briefly as an inhe says the old is better."
(Luke I stance of the cure of a chronic disv. 3g.) To carry out the interpre-I ease by merely touching the hem
tation just named, would make Je- of the Savior's garment.
.

ix. 23-28.]

~lATIHEW.

And the woman was made whole in, and took her by the ha.nd,
from that hour. "And when and the maid arose. 16And the
Je'sus came into the ruler's fame hereof went abroad into
house, and saw the minstrels and all that land.
the people makin$ a noise, he
STAnd when Je'sus departed
said [unto them J, Give place: ,thence, two blind men followed
for the maid is not dead, but I him, crying, and saying, Thou
sleepeth.
And they laughed I sun of Da'vid, have mercy on
him to scorn. 16 But when the Ius. "And when he was come
people were put forth, he went into the house, the blind men
came to him: and Je'sU8 saith
24 ClUTO;, Ru. Omitted by La.ch., Tisch., unto them, Believe ye that I am
T. S. Green, Allord, 'I'regelles,
~
23. s&w the minstrels.-Minstrels in a house of mourning would
be incongruous according to western taste. But among the Jews it
had been customary for ages to
call to their service, on funeral occasions, certain women who were professional mourners, and who, by
continual wailing and plaintive instrumental mUSIC, intensified the
grief of the family and friends of
the deceased.
(Comp. Jer. ix. 17,
l~; ~mos v. 16; and ~ee Smith's
Dictionary,
Art . Vournwg.)
24. not dead but sleepeth.-

The maid was actually dead (Luke

viii. 53), but not, as the company
thought, permanently so. She was
about to be revived, and her death
would then be more like sleep than
death. The remark of Jesus was
easily understood by the Jews after
he had raised her to life, but he fore
he did so it appeared so absurd that
they laughed him to scorn," or deri,:, J him. This is the only instance
givpn by Matthew of raising the
dead.
The account is singularly
frpe from suspicion as to its authenticity. If it were a pretended death
and revival, we would expect to see
an anxiety on the part of Jesus to
make it appE'ar that the girl was
dead, and a disposition 'JIl the part
of the unbelievers present to question this fact.
But the reverse is
true: it i8 the unbelievers who in-

sist that the girl is dead, while Je8U1

alone rai~es a question about it.
Perhaps the chief object of the remark, She is not dead, but sleepeth," was to bring forth from the
inmates of the house, who had the
best opportunity to know the fact,
a more emphatic affirmation that she
was certainly dead.
For a more elaborate discussion
of the details of this miracle, see
the notes on Mark v. 22-43.
Two Blilld Men Healed 0'7-31.
, -

27. Thou son of David.-By

I men
thus addressing Jesus, the blind
acknowledged him tu be the

Christ; for it was understood by all

the .Iews that the Christ was to be
a son of David. (See xxii, 4~.)
28. Believe ye.-Being
blind,
the two men could not see the miracles for themselves; hence the pertinency of the question, Believe ye
that I am able to do this 7" That they
believed with 80 little opportunity
to know the evidence, being neoessnr ily dependent on the testimony
of others, shows, on the one hand,
the abundance of the evidence, and,
on the other, the obduracy of those
who could see and still would not
believe.
.Iesus questions them in
order to draw attention to this consideration.
He had also paid no
attention to their cries until after
they followed him into the lHlIIPIl,
0,

MATTHEW.
able to do this?
They said un-\
to him, Yea, Lord.
Then
touched he their eyes, sayin~,:
According to your faith be It
unto you.
10 AnJ
their eyes
were opened; and Je'sus straitly
charged them, saying, 8ee that
no man know it.
II But
thf',:
when they were de-parted, spread'
abroad
his fame in all that:
country.
h As they
went out, behold,
they brought
to him a dumb
mun possessed with a devil.
saAnd when the devil was cast

(ix.

:m-35.

out, the dumh spake: and the

multitudes
marveled, saying, It
was never 80 seen in Is'rael.
But the Phar'isees
said, He
casteth out devils through the
prince of the devils. ~Alld Je'sus went about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their syuagog-ues, and preaching the g'OSpel of the kingdolll, and healing
every sickness ami every disease
[among the people].
3.~ i ,; Aa'; Ree.
Omitted bv Lach.,
Tisch .. T. S. Greeu, Alford, 'I'regelles, II, C,
D, 8 .1. I, 22. :l3, etc., Veralous.

in order that they might show their v. 15); some it deprived of one or
faith by their perseverance.
more of the senses, H.H in the pres30, 31. See that no man know ent CH.~e; and Borne it threw into
it.-The
cure of the woman with I oonvulsions or distortions.
(See
the issue of blood. immediately fol- Mark ix. Iii; Luke xiii. II, 16.)
lowed by the resurrection of the
33. the multitude marveled.ruler's daughter, and this by the With every new variety of miracles
cure of the blind men, had proba- there came fresh surprise uwong
bly thrown the people into an ec- the people. After seeing a few sick
"tasy which once more required persons cured, they naturally ceased
repression by the injunction of si- bein~ surprised at cures of sicklence. (Comp. viii. 4.) Mark tells ness ; but when they saw this dum"
us that Jesus gave the same injunc- man restored to speech. thev w.r.
tion to the parents of the girl just almost aN much surprised IlH if they
mentioned.
The two blind men, had seen no previous miracle. The
however, were too much exhilarated range of fresh miracles. however.
by the recovery of their eyeaight, necessarity had a limit. and thereto heed the command of .Jesus, or, fore miracle working, us II means
perh;tps, to believe that he meant of impressing men, had to be of
what he said. Thev were too full temporary duration. A permanent
to hold in; so they spread abroad ' continuance of miracles would have
his fame throughout all that conn- robbed them of their value by maktry."
inl! them common.
34. through the prince of the
The Dumb Demoniac, 32-35.
devils.-It
seems that when the
32. a damb man.- He was Pharisees now accused .lesus f
dumh in consf'ql1cnce of the demon-I casting out demons by the prine .
possesaion. as appears from the faet of the demons, he made no reply.
that he spoke as soon as the demon but waited till a subsequent cell.'
len him. (Verse 33.) Dl'IIHm-pOs- sion when they repeated the charge.
session had different effects on dif- and then he replied exhnustively.
fereut persons. Some it deprived (See xii. 2:l-30.)
of reason. M in CMe of the man in
35. Jesus went about.-In
thia
the land of the Gergesenee (Mark verse Matthew groups tUj!'th<'rin H

IX.

36-alS.

MArrHEW.

87

But when he saw the multi- i were scattered abroad, as sheep

tude,s, he was muved with com- I having no shepherd.
IT Then
passion on them, because they saith he unto his disciples, The
Ifainted: u'eI'e trembled I. aud harvest truly is plenteous, but
the laborers are few; pray ye
36 fICAcA"'",frOl Ret:.
;O"IC\IA""t.,~U
Lach .. therefore the Lord of the harvest,
Ttsch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles, N,
B, c, D, K, ~, G, It. K, 8, U, X, .1, ete., Old that he will send forth laborers
Latlu , Vulgate, etc.
into his harvest.
general statement
a multitude
of
the Peopl,!, 11-15; Persecutrons
Predicted, 16--:t,;:S; Motives to Endurance,
miracles
and discourses,
of which
24-.'j3; Persecuttous
Intended
"
those in the section which is here
Test, 34.:\9; Kind Treatment
of Dis
cl plea tv be Rewarded, 4U--f2_
brought to a close are specimens.
AROUliENT OF t:iECTION6.
The obvious purpose of Matthew
Occasion of th~ Commission, ix
in the prccedi nil section
is to pre36-38.
sent miraculous
proofs of the claims
36, moved with compassion.
of -Iesus.
The fact that his word -The
masses of the people in Galwas attended
by divine
power id ilee had now been deeply stirred by
prouf that he spoke hv divine au- the teaching
and miracles of .Iesus,
thority.
He is repreaented
0.8 makbut they knew not as y!'t what diin~ this ar~Dl6nt
himself
in the rection was to be given to this popcase of the paralytic
(ix. 5, 6), and ular movement.
.Jesus very aptly
it is ~llLtthew's ar)!;ument throughout
II compare8
them, in their bewildered
the section.
The demonstration
is state, to a flock of sheep without II
manifold,
including
the miraculous
I shepherd,
scattered
over tho hills,
cure of six diseases-c-leproey,
paral-I and faint from fright and running,
ysis, fever, chronic
female hemor-ille
has compaseion on them, and i,
rhage, blindnees, and dumbness.
It i moved by this to provide for their
includes
al~o the expulsion
of de-] relief
hy appointing;
twelve
men
mons, the stilling
of a tempest
at I who shall aasist him in teaching
sea. and the raising
of the dead.
them now, and shall he shepherds
All the ills to which humanity
is to them hereafter.
Meu are still
expoaed-e-the
diseases of the flesh, like 8heep-thpy
must have shep
the dangers of land and sea, the do- herds to lead them.
minion of demons, and the power
37, The harvest.-The
figure is
of death-are
proved
to be alike
here changed
from that of a flock
under the control of Jesus and they to that of a harvest.
The condition
are all controlled
for the good of I of the people, as represented
in the
man.
The benevolent purpose of previous comparison,
rendered them
his mission is demonstrated
at the like an abundant
harvest
readv to
lame time with its divine origin.
be gathered
in for the master's use,
But as Jesus contemplates
it, he
laments the absence of laborers,
as
SECTION
VII.
he has lamented
the want of a shepFIBaT CoW1USSlONOF THE AP08TLE8, herd.
Shepherd8
to gather
them
IX. 35-X. 42.
into the fold, and laborers to reap
harvest, are two figure~
Ooeulon
of th" Com mission, Ix. 36-88' an abundant
Names
and
Endowment
of the to represent
the one want of the
Twelve
x. I~;
The Com m tsaton
unhappy
people.
Olven,lHi . Their Means of Support,
j
t, 10; The r Mode of DealinK with
38, pray ye.-When
any want

88

UArrH.EW.

X. lAnd when he had called

unto him his twelve disciples, he'
~ave them power against unclean
spirits, to cast them out, and to
heal all manner of sickness and
all manner of disease. Now
the names of the twelve apostles
are these; The first, Si'mon,
who is called Pe'ter, and An'd rew hiIS bro th er; Ja mes th e
it! realized, the first impulse of a
worshiping soul, and rightly so, is
to pray. Jesus here teaches us to
pray for morc Iaborers to reap the
world's great harvest, and 80 long
as the laborers continue to remain
few in proportion to the harvest, the
disciples must continue to offer this
prayer.
Our compassion should be
moved, like his. toward a scattered
and distracted world.
Like him,
too, we must not be content with
praying, but we must act. Having
told his disciples to pray that laborers be sent, he proceeded in the
same discourse to command them
to go. (x. 5-7.) It is in vain that
we pray God to send laborers unless
we go ourselves, or co-operate in
finding and sending those whom
God makes willing to go.
Names and Endowment uf the
Twelve, x. 1-4. (Mark iii. 14-1\);
vi. 7; Luke vi. 12-19; ix. 1.)
1. his twelve disei ples.e-This
does not mean that the twelve were
hit! only disciples;
for we learn
from Luke (vi. 13) that" he called
to him his disci~lcs, and of them
he chose twelve.'
They are here
called his twelve disciples because
of their subsequent conspicuity as
the twelve apostles.
he gave them power.-The
object of the miraculous powers now
bestowed on the apostles, was to
enable them to prove the divine authority of their mission, and, in do''ll!: 50, to prove the divine authority

[x. 1-4.

i son

of Zeb'edee, and John his

brother; I Phil'ip, and Barthol'omew; Thom'as, and Mat'thew
the publican; James the son of
Alphre'us, and Leblxe'us [whose
surname was Thadda/ us1; 'Si'mon the Ca'naanite, alld Ju'das
Iscar'iot, who also betrayed him.
3 ;, ""<KA.~9.'< ttaMa'o..
Re<. Omitted
by TiBeh., T. 8. Green, Alford. D. 12"2.k.
Lach., TregeUes, omi LIt..fjfja'.''' ." A.1'9.,

of Jesus, by whom these powel'll

were bestowed.
2. The first.-The
term" first" i,
not used in the sense of pre-eminent,
but it is employed numerically to indicate that here the enumeration of
the twelve begins. Peter's eonspiouity is indicated, however, hy the
fact that his name is numerically
the first in all the catalogues of
their names, and it was doubtless
placed first on account of the preeminence which he subsequently
attained.
(See Mark iii. 16- HI j
Luke vi. 14-16; Acts i. 13 j and
compo Mat. xvi. 19.)
3. Matthew
the publican.Notwithstanding
the reproach attached to the name p nbliran, and
the long period since ~Iatthew had
ceased to be a publican when his
narrative was written, he still writes
himself, .. ~fatthew the publ ican."
It i>lprobable that the old name still
adhered to him in J;l0pular speech,
and that this led to Its perpetuation
in his narrative.
He does not attach the term fi s her men to the
names of the first four.
Lebbseus.v-On
this name, see
note on ~tark iii. Pi.
4. Simon the Canaanite.-The
form in which the term Canaanite
is spelt, has led many Enlflish readers to suppose that Simou was
either a descendant of the original
Canaanites, or a citizen of the town
of Cana; neither of which suppositions is true. The vri/!:inal 18 the
Svro-Chaldaic name of a sect amlin!;

x.5-9.]

MATTHEW.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, [raise the dead.] cast out
devils:
freely ye have received,
freely give.
8 Provide
neither gold, nor sil-

These
twelve
Je'sus
sent
forth,
and commanded
them,
saying, Go not into the way of
the Gen'tiles, and into any city
of the Samar'itans
enter ye not:
but go rather to the lost sheep
of the house of Is'rael,
rAnd
as ye go, preach, saying, The
kingdom
of heaven is at hand,

8 IIf1tpOVS
~yftPf'T.
Ree.
Omitted
by
Lach., Tisch. T. S. Green, Tre~ellea, E, r,
v. x, etc., f, sahidic. Arme
niau, etc., Jerome, Eusebius, Athanasiua,
\ 'hrysostom,
etc.

(~. K, L, M, S, V,

the Jews, who took into their own

hands, without process of law, the
punishment
of flagrant offenses.
They acted the same part in .Iewish
society that those bands of men
sometimes called" l{"gulators " per
form in American societv at the
present day; and they justified their
conduct l,y the example of Phinehaa, who, iu the time of general corruption about Bual-peor, executed
summary vengeanl'e on Zimri and
Cozbi
(See ~UUl.
xxv.)
Luke
translates the name into Greek, and
calls this Ilw,stle Simon Zelotes, or
Simon the Zealot. (vi. 15.)
Judas Iscariot.-/.,carillt
designates Judue by his former place of
residence
It means a man of Kerioth, a town in the tribe of Judah.
(J')sh. xv. !!.) )
The Commission

hus in mind the simile with which

the discourse was introduced (ix.
35). and us the people ure like sheep
without a shepherd, he sends the
twelve as shepherds to hunt up the
lost sheep.
7. preach.
saying. - Observe,
they were not to preach .lesus now,
hut they were to preach, The
kingdom of heaven is at hand;"
thus echoing the words of John
and of Jesus.
8. freely.- Without price (~wp,'
0.1'). It applies not to their labor 8.8
a whole, for they were to receive
wa@:es for this (verse lu}: bu t to
their miracle working
The power
to heal the sick, to cleanse lepers,
and to cast out demons, might have
been made a source of !(reat !(ain.
had the apostles been allowed so to
employ it; but this would have
robbed the power of its dignity
and turned it into an article of mer
chandise ; hence in no age of the
world did the true prophets of God
accept fees for the exercise of their
miraculous powers.
Their Jlerws of Support, 9, 10.
(Mark vi 8,9; Luke ix. 3.)

Oiren, 5-8.

5. Gentiles ... Samaritans.There ure two good reasons why

the apostles under this first commission should be rrohibited from
going among Gentiles or Samaritans, and be restricted to the .Jews.
In the first place, the Jews alone
were prepared for that which W8.8
~ l.e preac/H'd-the
speedy coming
9, 10. Provide neither.-The
of the kingdom of heaven. It was prohibition is. against pT(lcuring.the
proper that the laborers be sent I articles me?tIoned before startmg,
on Iv into that part of the harvest and at their own expense. They
wh[ch was ready for the sickle. were to thus procure lleithe~ money
Again, the time was limited, and to pay expenses : nor a SCrIp (pronot even the entire land of Israel vision bag) which would enable
could be traversed ere the mission them to carry cold prm isions ; nor
would end. (Verse 23.)
,two coats, nor two pa irs of shoes,
6. to the lost sheep.~Te!\us still' _0 that one m ight replace the

MATTHEW.
ver, nur brass in your purses,
I. uor scrip tor your journey,
neither two coats, neither shoes,
nor yet staves ; for the workman
is worthy of his meat.
IIAnd into whatsoever city or
town ye shall enter, inquire who
in it is worthy; and there abide
till ye ~o thence. IIAnd when 'Ie
come into an house, salute It.
'"And if the house he worthy,
other when worn out; nor were
they to carry more than one 8taff,
seeing that II. second one which was
used only for carrying
a pack across
the shoulder, would be 8u~,ertluous.
The reason for the prohibition is
not that they would have no need
for the articles mentioned, but that
"the workman is worthy of his
meat," and they were to depend on
the people fur whose benefit they
labored, to furnish what they might
need. This passage is alluded to
by Paul when he says, "The Lord
ordained that they who preach the
gospel shall live of the gospel."
(I Cor. ix, 14.) The prohibition in
the text was removed preparatory
to the second commission (Luke
xxii, 35, 36), because under it the
apostles would go out among the
Gentiles, who had not learned,
like the Jews, to provide for the
wants of religious teachers, and
they would often be compelled to
provide for themselves.
Th i M. de oif D li
'th th
er
0
ea lUg !Of
e
People, 11-15. (Mark VI. 10, II;
Luke ix. 4 5.)
,
11. who in it is worthy.-That
is, worthy to entertain a preacher
of the gospel. The house at whieh
a 8tran~e preacher lodges, on entering a 1. -wn or city, has often much
to do with his intluence and success.
and there abide.-An
unneceslary change of one', Iodging-nlaee,

[x. 10-15.

I let

yuur peace come upon it.:

but if it he not worthy, let your
peace return
to you.
"And
whosoever shall not receive you,
nor hear your words. when ye
depart out of that house or city,
shake off the dust uf your feet.
16 Verily
I say unto you, It shall
he more tule rable for the land of
Sod'om and Gomor'rhain the day
of judgment, than for that city.

while temporarily laboring in a

town or city, is attended with many
slight dissdvantagee. as every experienced evanl!:elist can testify, and
the Savior exhibited a wise foresi~ht
in forbidding it during this hurried
mission of the twelve.
12. 13. let ,our peace return.
-The form 0 sulutation on entering a house was, .. Peace to this
house."
The apostles are told to
salute each house, and are assured
that the peace prayed for shall return to them it the house iK not
wurthy, that is, they shall receive,
in this case, the bleseing they pronounce on the house.
14. shake off the dust.-Aocording to ~1ark \ vi. 11), shnking
off the dust from the feet was intended ad .. a testimony a~ain8t"
those who would not receive the
preachers.
It testified that they
were rejected by Him whose meltsengers had been rejected by them.
It is twice recorded of Paul that he
complied with this precept. (Acts
xiii, 51; xviii. 6.)
15
t 1 b1
It'
fi ed
. '. mor:e 0 erB: .e.181\ x
principle in the divine !(overnment
that men shall be judged with reference to their opportunities. Thougu
the sin of these Jews in rejecting
the apostles WIl.8 not of so )(rOI!8a
character as the sins of ~,dom and
Gomorrha, it was more inexcusable
on account of their superior opportunitiell.

&.

16-~l.J

MAn'HEW.

91

Behold, 1 send you forth as liver YOII lip, take lJO thought
sheep ill the midst of wolves: how or what ye shall speak: for
bele therefore wise as serpents, i it shall he given you ill that
an harmless as doves. 11But I same hour what ye shall speak.
beware of men : for they willi 20 For it is not ye that speak, but
deliver you
to the council", the Spirit of your Father II hich
and they wil scourge you in I speaketh in you.
11 And
the
their synagogues; 10 and) e shall: brother shall deliver up the
be brought before governors and: brother to death, and the father
kings for my sake, for a testi- the child: and the children shall
monl against them and the rise up against their parents,
Gell tiles. II But when they de- and cause them to be put to

ur

Perseculums Predicted, 16-23.

ties were to be brought before these

" for a testimony
a~ain~t tlll'ill lind
as sheep in the midst
of the Gentiles."
Paul's urruignmr-nt
wolves.-At
this point in the dis- before such men as Lysias, Felix,
court-e. JeRu~ passes from the first Festus, A/!;rifpa, and Xero, "a" in
to the second mission of the apos- fulfillment
0 this prediction.
and it
tlefor all of the persecutions
enu- resulted
in testimony
against them
merau-d
were encountered
under
because
they rejected
the go"pel
the latter.
They were to be like which was thus prm identiully forced
sheep in the midst of wolves, be- upon their attention
can-e they were to be visited with
19. take no thought.-lIer
e we
cruelties, and they were to bear these
have the same word in the Gri-i-k.
without
resistance.
Under
these I as in Mat vi 2!>. and the mean ing
circumstances
they were to be as is the sume, " be not anxiou- "
\\' e
wise as serpents,
whose only wis- learn from Mark (xiii II) that th .y
dom is displayed
in escaping
from were not. under such cirr-um-tunces,
danuer (comp, note on 23), and as even to "l','emedltute,"
and the
blameless (a."'pa.w,) es doves. Being
promise, "It shall be ~i\en yuu, in
blnmeless, they would encounter
no that
same hour, what ,Y"U blmll
merited severrty i and, being wise speak." saved them from Loch preM serpents,
they would escape all meditation
and anxiety.
danger that could be avoided with20. not you that
speak.-Of
out dereliction
of duty.
course, the physical act of "peaking
17. councils
...
synagogues.
WIU' theirs,
but it wall not theirs
-The
councils (a".'~p, ) and syna- to determine
h01l'
or u-h a! they
lZo/(ues here mentioned
were .lewish
should speak (verse HI). Both the
powers
It seems from thi verse uianner and the matter were to be
that syna)(lIi!ue rulers exercised
the supplied
hv the ~pirit
f God
power of ~cour)(ing men for minor I There ('"uld not be a more explicit
offenses.
(See also xxiii. 34, Act!! I declaration
of the complete
I erbal
xxii 19, xxvi II,
I inspiration of the apostle on such
18. governors
and
kings.occasions
These ar e O utile p()\\"Pr~
This I
21 shall
deliver
up. - Tit
appearM both from t~e fact thut even I statement
i~ not that brother shull
the /(overnors and kings who ruled
put brother
to death i but that he
in Judea
were appointees
of the ishall deliver him up to death,
that
Roman government,
and (rom the I is, deliver
him up to those who
lltat<>U1pnt of the text that the spo.. would put him to death
This wu

16.

92

MATfHEW.

death. HAnd ye shall be hated

of all men for my name's sake:
but he that endureth to the end
shall be saved.
But when
they persecute you in this city,
fiee ye into another: for verily
I Bay unto you. Ye shall not
have gone over the cities of Is'rael, till the Son of man be
come.
The disciple is not above his
master, nor the servant above
his lord. 26 It is enough for the
disciple that he be as his master,
done by giving testimony, and actin~ the part IIf an informer.
~2. hated of all men.-The
apostles always had some friends;
hence we are to understand that
the term all here is used hyperbolicallv
to' the end.-To the end of life:
for it is persecution unto death (21)
that is to be endured.
23. flee ye into another.-This
is a specification under the more
general Rrecept, "Be ye wise as
serpents
(verse 16); and the special reason for fleeing so promptly
from a city where they were persecuted, is, .Ye shall not have /!:one
over the cities of Israel till the Son
of man be come." What coming
of the Son of man is meant, has
been a matter of dispute. But it is
a coming which was to take place
before all the cities of Israel should
be evangelized, and hence the reference must be, we think, to the
providential coming to destroy the
.Iewish nationality.
The apostles
were to make no delay, even under
their first commission. in cities that
would not receive them, and were
to promptly flee when. under the
second commiasion, they should be
violently persecuted i because by
their labors under both combined
thE'Y wnu1it Dot eVlUluelice all the

[x. 22-27.

and the servant as his lord. If

they have [called : Iturnamll
the master of the house Beel'zebub, how much more shall they
call them of his household?
,. Fear them not therefore: for
there is nothing covered, that
81mB not be revealed; and hid,
that shall not be known. "\Vhat
I tell you in darkne-s, that speak
ye ill light: and what ye hear
25 eICtiAef7G.JI Ree. brumAfCTG.1I Lach., TisctL,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles, B, c, E, I,
a, K, 11, S, v, I,.1, etc.

.Jewish cities before the time set for

their desolation.
.Motives to Endurance, 24-33.

24, 25. enough for the disciple.-The

argument here is, that
the disciple should expect exemption from no hardship endured by
his teacher (ma,~ler here means
teacher), I. or the servant from any
endured by his lord. As -Iesus,
then, was to Buffer, his disc iples
and servants must not expect to fare
better than he, but it is t'n(.u)!h I')r
them to escape with no more than
he suffered. When a disciple suffers and feels like complaining of
his hard lot, let him think, Who am
I, to complain of Buffering, when
my Lord and ~fa.;tt'r suffered 80
much more than this for me I
26, 27. that shall not be reo
vealed.-Here
is another motive to
endurance.
Disciples often Buffer
from injustice that is so covered up
from the eves of the world as to appear like Justice, and there is nothmg more dishearten in)! than this.
But Jesus assures them that no
hidden or covered up iniquity shall
escape eXfo.ure. and urges that no
truth shal he allowed to remain in
obscurity through fear of danger in
proclaiming it. hence the,r are to
preach" on the house-tops' all that

x. 2B-3;{.]

:\1AITHEW.

in the ear, that preach ye upon

the housetops.
And fear not
them which kill the body, but
are not able to kill the soul:
but rather fear him which is able
to destroy both soul and body
in hell.
Are not two sparrows
sold for a farthing?
and one of
them shall not fall on the ground

93

without your Father.

-But the
very hairs of your head are all
numbered.
II Fear
ye not therefore, ye are of more value than
many sparrows,
II Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before
men, him will I confess also before my Father
which is in
heaven.
IS But
whosoever shall

they hoar from him, even what he which follows the reunion of body
had whispered in their ears.
and soul at the reeurrection.
Hell,
28. fear not them who kill.then, lies beyond the final judgThe fear of men who would kill' ment,
them. us previously predicted. was
29-31. ye are of more value.
calculated to det .r the apostles from -Another
motive to endurancethe mission on which they were about the tender protection which God exto be Relit. Should they yield to tends to those who endure. If a
this fear th"y are reminded that sparrow, of RO little value that two
they must. 'as an alternative, en- of them are sold for a farthing
counter" Ilim who is able to destroy (&'''''a.p(''' = I ~cts), does not fall withboth soul and body in hell.'
Let out your Father, and if all thl' hairs
the danger. then, of going be as of your head are numbered, why
great lUI it might be, the danger of should you, who are of more value
rt'fu8ing to go, or of turning back, than many 8parrows, be afraid to
is stil] greater. As a mere choice serve God rather than man? Here
of evils, the most cruel persecution is an incidental affirmation of
is to be patientlv endured in prefer- special providence in its most mience to neglect vf duty to God.
nute manifestations, and an assurdestroy.-~laterialistM
are wont anee that even if we fall by the
to catch at the word de~lr()!J in this! hand of man, God is with us in the
place, as proof that the soul can be : fall, and this makes it a blessing inannihilated.
But in doing; so they stead of a calamity.
escriba to the term de.,tr"y a sense
32, 33. shall confess . . .
which it does not bear, and they shall deny.-Here
is the fifth and
overlook the fact that this passage last motive to endurance.
The
utterly refutes the doctrine that the time was comin,!!:when the disciples
soul dies with the hody. .Iesus would often be questioned concernsavs, .. Fear not them who kill the in~ their faith, and when life or
body, but call not kill the $"',{;" death would depend on the answer.
but if the soul dies with the body, They are encouraged to confeas
then he who kills ~he body kills the, .lesus on these and all occasions, by
soul too. RJI(I can not avoid killing I the assurance that if they do so he
it. To destroy, is not to annihilate, I will confess them before the Father
but to brin/! to ruin; anI the soul in heaven, and that if they deny
and bodv are brought to ruin when him he will deny them. The conthev are cast into hell.
fession before the Father in heaven
hell.-As
the body and soul is doubtless an approving recogniboth are to be destroyed in hell, tion of the person as a faithful dishell ("1, 0.) can not belong to the ciple, and the denying is the reverse
intermediate state, but to that state of this. A denial like Peter's, fol-

i'n

94

MATTHEW.

deny me before men, him will I

also Jeny before my Father
which is in heaven.
s. Think not that I am come
to semi peace on earth: I carne
not to send peace, but a sword.
OIl Fur I am come to Bet a man at
variance against his father, and
the daughter Ilgainst her mother,
and the daughter-in-law against

[x. 34-89.

her mother-in-law.
- And a
man's foes shall be they of hill
own household. IT He that loveth father or mother more than
me is not worthy of me: and he
that Ioveth son or daug-hter more
than me is not worthy of rue.
S8 And
he that taketh not his
cross, and followeth after me, iJo
not worthy of me, He that

lowed by immediate repentance. is feel more keenly thun othor th.

not here included. The confessinn shame which the world attaches til
of .I.sus which is made at the be- the act. and are exasperated agalnet
gintlin~ of the Christian life is nut, the supposed apostate in 11 degree
directly alluded to. but what is true I proportionate to their neurneas to
of this is true of the later confes-I him. .Iesus came to set a man thus
sions more especially the subject at variance with his kindred. b&
of remark, seeing that there is the cause this evil is unavoidable in
same temptation to be overcome, saving some.
and often the same danger to be en37. He that loveth father.-ln
cuuntered.
this verse is clearly iudicuted the
Persecutions Intended as a Test, providential purpose of these family
34-39.
alienations:
they would put the
disciple to the test hy showin~
34. not to send peace.-In
one whether he loves earth lv rolutives
sense Jesus came to send peacemore than he loves .re~us. and
peace among those who would re- whether, therefore, he is wurthy of
ceive him, and between them and .Je8US.
God So Bang the angels at the
38. taketh not his cross.-The
time of his birth. (Luke ii. 14.) cross, on uecount of ite use ill the
Hut between his friends and those execution of the basest criminals,
who would persist in being his foes, was a aymbol of dishonor. The
he came to send not peace. but a dishonor attached to bein~ u discisword. He knew that the existence pie of .J"8U8 is here ~raphically
and activities of the Church would symbol ized hy tak injr u cruss on
cause the sword of persecution to ones should er and following .JI)be drawn, and in (lrd"ring the es- sus.
Perhnps then' iM ulso 118
tabl islnnent of tho Church he as- Alford 8U!!~eRt.~.
an ul lusjnn to his
BUlU"d the responsibtlity of indi- deuth on the cr ,,"-an
al lnsion
rectlv sending that sword into the which, at the time. IUIl_thave eolworlo!.
caped the notice of his d iseiples,
35,3S. at variance against his because it preceded all of hi. prefather.-ln
near ly all quarrels,
dictions on that subject.
cept those about religion. the mern- , 39. findeth his life shall lose
bers of the same family stand to- it.-Here
is a play on the wurd
gether, but in religious feuds the 11((e, which is used alternately for
famil.v cire.e is often broken. and' temporal life and eternal life. He
it.! parts arrayed against each other, I that finds it i~ he who saves bit
When a man abandons the religion I present life hy ahr-inking from d lty:
of his ancestors his own kindred he shall lose tho eternal life. Hf
I

eX-I

I..

4lJ-.!2.]

findeth his life shall lose it: and

he that loseth his life for my
sake shall find it.
0/1 He
that receiveth you reoeiveth me, and he that receiveth me reeeiveth him that sent
me.
'I He that receiveth a
prophet III the name of a prophet
shall receive a prophet's re\\ard;

and he that receiveth a righteous

man in the name of a righteous
mall shall receive a righteous
man's reward. "And whosoever
shall give to drink unto one of
these little ones a cup of cold
water only III the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he
shall ill 110 WIse lose his reward.

who loses the present life for the doned man, he may receive his retake of JIl8U8,finds hfe eternal
ward In heaven, if not, he will
Kind Treatment of D18CtpleB to receive It only on earth
be Rewarded, 40-42
ARUl.:MMIT OF l:)ECTlOli 7
40. He that receiveth.-By
a
very natural trunaitron .'e"u~ now
III
tins section, Matthew has ex
p"8ses from the persel unons await- hibited the compassron of Jesus as
llIg hili drsciples to the kmd tre t- the moving cause which led to the
mont which they would receive first missron of the twehe, he h.L8
froin the hands of others, and he furnished the names and stated
encouruges such treatment by the the miraculous endowments of
asaurnnce that he Will accept It IL8 the twelve, and he has shown
if extended to himself
the foreknowledge of Jesus by
41. 42. in the name.-" In the his predrcnons concerning the disname of u prophet" ilia Hebraism for ciples, and hrs honesty by hrs farr
"beclIuse he ISa prophet" (Alford) dealing With them m reference
He who receives a prophet be- to their own future
In this last
cause he is a prophet, or 11 rurhteous particular, there 18 .l contrast beman because be 18 a righteoull man tween .lesus and the orrgmators of
or who gives a drmk of water earthly euterpru-es, whether secular
to a disciple because he is a drsciple, or rehglOud It 18 the custom of
drstmctly recogrnses the person's the latter to paint ID glo"lDg colors
relanon to God as the /lround of I the bruzhter prospects of the causes
the act, and to that extent God is they plead and to conceal from
honored by the act
Nt 80 how- both themselves and others the
ever, With him who performs a 81m- darker side of the picture
But
ilar act in the name of humamty, .Jesus presents faithfully before hl8
or because the recipient IS a wan dlfwll'les all of the hardships and
a prophet's reward,-A
proph- HulferlDg~ whreh await them, not
et's reward IS not synonymous With OWlttlD/I:death It.elf-and death, II
final salvation, for while It is true may be on the Cro8d The forethat in heaven we will ha\ e full re- knowledge displayed is proof of
ward for all the good we d'J on his dJ\ nnty, VI11IIethe corupaseion
earth. we Will have infimtely more I and the candor which nccompnny
than this, and our ndnnssron into I it are such a8 we would expect ID
heaven IS a matter of !frace, and I the Son of God
not of reward 00, then, the promIt Idworthy of note as indrcatin.;
of the text does not imply the Matthew's pecuhar method as a hIS
salvation of all that receive a torian, that he closes th is "'ltlOll on
prophet, etc, but snnply that he the fil'l!t missron of the twelve With
.hall be rewarded
If he be a par- oat a word about the lau"r8 of tb-

we

MATTHEW.

96

XI. I And it came to pass,

when Je'sus had made an end of
commanding his twelve disciples,
he departed thence to teaeh and
to preach in their cities. Now
when John had heard in the

prison the works of Christ, he

sent I two of: through I his d~ples, I and said unto him, Art
thou he that should come, or do
we look for another?
Je' sus
answered and said unto them,
Go and shew Juhn again those
things which ye do hear and
see: 6 the blind recei ve their

2 ~,;o Ree. a.a Lach. Tisch., T. S. Green,

Alford, 'I'regel les, M. B, C, D, P, Z, .3., 3:1, 1~4,
P. Syriac, Ph. Synac, Armenian, etc.

apostles
under
this
commission.
Mark mentions
the latter
subject,
though but briefly.
(Mark vi. 12, 13.)

[xi. I-b.

mony

for Jesu8, and with his inspiBut we must

remember
that
his inspiration
passed
away
with the ministrv on account
of
which it was be~tuwed, and that it
was only the man John who made
SECTION
the inquiry.
Moreover, it was the
J{KJECTIOSOF JOHN AND OF JESUS, XI. man John
in hopeless
imprisonJou u's, Message rrom Prison, 1-6; True ment, and filled With the despondE~lirnate or Johu, 7-15; ChiJt.l1shuf>sS ency natural
to his situation.
lIe
ot t he Opposf t.ion, )6-)~; Impen ne nt,
may have still believed all that he
Ul t ies Upbraided,
2024; 'I'huu ksgtvlug of Jesus, 2.), 20; Lnvtratrou .r/-30. had formerly
said of Jesus, and yet
John's .~essage from Prison, 1-6. have made the inquiry in the text.
(Luke vii. 18-23.)
The inquiry is not, Are you what 1
declared
you to be? but, being all
1. he departed
thence.-The
of that, are you the one who should
probability
IS that
Jesus
now la- come, or must we look for another t
bored separately
from the apostles
Looking,
as John did, in commun
for a time-they
Iaboring under the with ail the Jews, for an earthly
commission
just
given them, and king in the coming ~Iessiah,
and
he remaining
with the ll1ultitudesI
seeiug in Jesus no aspirations
for
who still flocked about him.
such a position, he was so far con2. in the prison.e-According
to I fused as to think that whilc .Iesus
Josephus,
the place of Juhn s im' fulfilled a part of the promises, there
prisonment
and death WIl8 the castle
might be another
Coming One who
of Machrerus,
east of the Dead Sea, i would
fulfill
the remainder.
To
(Ant. B. 18, ch. 5, ~9.1, 2.)
It wus : satisfy his uwn mind, then, was the
not very far from that part of the object of his inquiry, and he showa
Jordan in which John had baptized;
unabated
confidence
in Jesus
by
and it iB probable
that Herod was submitting
the decision of the queeresiding
in this oustle
when
he tion to him.
went to hear John's preaching.
4, 5. Go and show John.v-Je3. Art thou he.- Various hy- SUB did not choose to send a categorpotheses
have
been advanced
by icul answer, although
-Iohu'a quesboth ancient and modern expositors,
tion called fur no more than this
in reference
to the purpo~e
of: He preferred
to let his works testify
John's
inquiry.
The natural
and for him, and therefore
he merely
obvious supposition
that he inquired
reiterated
their testimony
b,y saying,
merely because he wanted to know,
. Go and show John
again those
has been very generally
rejected 118 things which ye do hear and Bee."
i"c(lT}8i8tent with his previous te8ti He was engaged
in a Variety of

I ration.

vm.

xi. 6-11.]

MATTHEW.

sight, and the lame walk, the raiment? behold, they that wear
lepers are cleansed, and the soft clothing are in kings' housea.
deaf hear, the dead are raised But what went ye out for to
up, and the poor have the gOB- see?
A prophet?
yea, I say
pel preached to them.
I And
un to you, and more than a
blessed is he, whosoever shall prophet.
10 [For]
this is he, of
Dot be offended in me.
whom it is written, Behold, I
'And as they departed, Je'sus send my messenger before thy
began to say unto the multitudes
face, which: and he shall preconcerning John, 'Vhat went ye pare
thy
way before tliee.
out into the wilderness to see? 11 Verily I say unto you, Among
A reed shaken with the wind?
10 '(a.p &C.
Omitted
by Tbch., T. S.
I But what went ye out for to Green,N, B, D, Z, N. 8yriac, etc,
see?
A man clothed in softgeWe!.',ll Lach T. 8. Green,Tre

cures when the messengera arrived.

(Luke vii. 21.) The answer required John to revert once more to
all that the prophets had written
about the Commg One, and to
therebv determine whether another
after Jesus should be expected. It
directed his mind especially to Isa,
Ixi. 1-3, a pn.ssage to which Jesus
had before appealed when preaching in the synagogue at Nazareth.
(Luke iv. 18-21.)
6, not be offended in me.-The
chief reason why the scribes were
offended at the claims of Jesus, was
because he did not come up to their
expectations concerning the Messiah ; and now John seemed in danger of falling into the same fatal
error: hence the warning to John,
.Bleseed is he who shall not be
offended in me."
True

Estimate of Johll, 7-15.

(Luke vii. 24-30.)

7, 8. A reed .. , soft raiment,

-A reed shaken by the wind symbolizes a man who is swayed by
public opinion; and one clothed in
soft raiment, is 0. man of self-indulgence.
The questions of Jesus
brought out' With great emphaais
the contrast between John and all
such characters. In contrast with
reed shaken by the wind, .tood
9

his firmness in withstanding the

Pharisees, and his f~arlessneBB in
rebuking sin even when Herod Will
the sinner, and when liberty and
life were at stake. In contrast with
soft raiment stood his camel's-hair
coat with its raw hide girdle, and
his food of locusts and wild honey.
To remind the people of these
things, WII.8 to rekmdle their admiration for John.
9 10, more than a prophet
-More than 0. prophet, m being
the messenger sent before the face
of Jesus, and in sustaining 0. closer
relation to Jesus than any other
prophet.
11. Dot risen a greater.A
greater prophet ; continuing the
comparison between him and the
other prophets. If there were any
doubt of this, it would be removed
by Luke, who, in reporting the
same speech, inserts the word
prophet after greater.
(Luke vii.
28. But see the critical note.) The
point of superiority is that mentioned in the previous verse, hia
closer connection with Jesus.
greater than he.- The point of
comparison is still the same--the
superiority consisting in closer connection with Jesus, and greater
knowledge of him. In these respects, the least in the kingdom ill

)l.\TTHEW.

98

them that are born of' women

there hath not arisen I\, greater
than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater

[xi. 12, 13.

I than

he. II And from the days

of John the Baptist until now
the kingdom of heaven suffereth
violence, and the violent take it
by force. IS For all the propheu

greater than .Iohn, because he is a The kingdom of heaven can nut h\'
member of the bodv 'If Christ, aud literally forced ; therefore. this
this is more than ~ be the messen- term is to be understood metaphorgel' to go before him and to inquire, ically. The kingdom is compared
Art thou he that 8110uld come, or to a walled city. into which men
look we for another ? ,.
are tlyin!!: to force their way in or
This remark implies that John der to get possession of it, and this
was not in the kingdom; for, other- is said to have been going: on "since
wise, the least ill the kingdom could the days of .Iohn the Baptist."
In
not be greatcr than he. The Ian- order to see what actual conduct of
gua)!c can not be treated as a hyper- i men is thus depicted. we must
hole, a~ when Paul declares himself glance back at th history from the
"les~ than the leust of all saints" time of John. When the multi(J<:ph. iii. 8); fur the contradiction I tudes firvt rushed out to -Iohn at the
in terms employed by Paul shows .Iordan, many of t1l'l'm thought that
that he speaks hvperbol'icnlly ; hut: he was the expected ~l('ssiah, and
there is no evidence of hyperbole I they were eager to set up hy force
in the paHsal!:ebefore us . K either the expected kingdom. Disappointed
can the expression kingdom of in this, the same "men 0 foree"
heaven" be construed IlS equivalent: soon ~ath(>red around Jesus, and on
to heacen, for in the next verse it is the verv dav in which the news of
said to suffer violence, and this Ian- John's "death reached Galilee, there
guage can not be construed as re- followed .lesus into the wilderness
ferr-inz to heaven. ~ either is the about five thousand men, who, near
present tense, Be that is least in the close of the day, tried to " take
the kin!.!;dum," to be construed as him by force and make him a
implvin)! that some were already in king."
(xiv, 12-~1; eomp. John
the kin;,!:,]om; for, in that ease . .fohn vi. 15)
It was this disposition to
himself would have been in it, and f"rce their way into the miseonthe comparison could not have been ceived kingdom, which made it
mane.
~Ioreovcr, it is not uncom- necessary f"r .Je8u8 to frequently
mon to use the present tense in avoid the multitudes, and to somemakin):(compnrisons between thin~s times command persons whom hI'
yet in the future. (See Matt. XXIi. had healed ... Tell it to no man."
30.) The comparison in question The verse, then, refers to the euger
is accounted for only by the fact ness of the people to enter by viathat the kin~dum of heaven, though lenee into the privileges and honors
preached, WII8 not y.t set up. and of the kingdom-c-u disposition which
therefore John was not a citizen of arose from the mistaken idr-n that
it.
it was to be a pol it ii-al or military
12. suffereth violence. - The kingdom. The kingdom is COlD'
correct transhvtion of this verse is pared to a wnll-d city, und th",!'
that given hy '11' Green in his men who wished to set up the kingTwo-fold
w Tr-stument.: "'l'he dom by military force. til an army
kingdom of heaven is being forced, besieging the city
and men of force are seizing on it.",
13. until John.-The
statement

x.

s:i.

14-1H.]

MATTHEW.

99

and the law prophesied until

John.
16 And ff ye will receive
it, this is Elias, which was for
to come. 16 He that hath ears
[to hear], let him hear.
But v. hereunto shall I liken
this generation?
It is like unto
children sitting in the markets,
and calling unto their fellows,
IT and
saying, 'Ve have piped
unto you, and ye have not

danced;
we have mourned
[ unto you), find ye have not
lamented.
18 For
John came
neither eating nor drinking, and
they say, He hath a devil.
10 The Son of man came eating
and drinking, and they sa)" Behold a man gluttonous, and a
winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.
But wisdom
is justified of her children.

by TlBch., T. S.

17
Rec, Omitted by Lach., TlBch
T. 6. Green .Alford. Tregellc .

15 4CO Rec. Omitted

Green, Alford, TregeU"",

v,.,.

that all the prophets and the law in that he exercised

similar
selfprophesied
until John," implies that denial
in his mode of life, and
then there
was a change.
The maintained
the same stern oppoaichange
is not stated,
but
may tion against prevalent
iniquity;
and
he supplied
from the almost iden- the power of Elijah,
in that he
tical sentence
in Luke, The law swayed the people by his word, and
and the prophets were until John:
gained a popular triumph
analogous
since that time the kingdom
of to that which Elijah ~ained at Mt.
heuven is preuched."
(Luke
xvi. Carmel.
(I Ks. xviii :.!\}-40.)
Ie.)
The chan;,!:e consisted
in add15. He that hath ea.rs.~Je~u8
in!!: the preach in)! of the kingdom.
used the proverb contained
in this
14. this is Elias.-The
Jews verse when he desired to fix especial
expected the prophet Elijah to reo I attention
on something which his
ap~car, according
to the prediction
I hearers were inclined
to reject.
Il \\a\a('hi,
and they believed
his I, The forp~oin!!: speech
about .lohn
comill~ would immediately
precede I W36 distasteful
to those who Irad
the )lessiah'.
kingdom.
(Mal iv. rejected his preaching and baptism;
5.6; comp Matt. xvii. 10.) They yet it was of the utmost importance
had at first thought it probable
that to the cause of .Iesus that the repu.
luhn was the literal Elijah (John i. tation of .John, thus far his chief
21), but .John denied it. Jesus now human witness, should be properly
informs them that John, though not sustained,
and the more 80, as he
literally
Elijuh, was the person so was now in prison, and men were
called bv ~talachi;
and he does likely to think
less of him on ao
this to SrlOVI' that Malachi's
prediecount of his waning fortune.
tion had been fulfilled,
and that
C'h Td i h
.1' tl.
0
'ti1071,
di
t
thei
l
IS ness
OJ
lie
'Ppo.~1
con"equen~ Iy, aecor. lllg
0
err
16-19. (Luke vii. 31-35.)
uwn doctr-ine, the kingdom of God
must be at hand, and what he had
16-19. like unto childrenjust said ahout the kingdom . hould I In the eompar-ison
here instituted,
be believed.
John was called Eli-: two groups of children are supposed
jah, because,
as predicted
by the I to be at play.
One ~roup makes a
angel who announced
hi" birth, he sound in imitation
of a pipe, for the
was to fZ;0 before thr- Lord" in the I others to dance "y, thus imitating
spirit and power of Elijah."
(Luke I the profJ'Asional
duncera , but the
i, 17) He had the spirit of Elijah, I others refuse to dance.
~Ul'pOSill:Z,

100

MATTHEW.

[xi. 20, 21.

Then began he to upbraid they repented not: n Woe unto

the cities wherein most of his thee, Chora'ziu 1 woe unto thee,
mighty works were done, because Bethsa'ida 1 for if the mighty
then, that they feel more like weeping, the first group begin to mourn
in imitation of the hired mourners
at a funeral (see note on ix, 23),
but the others will not lament.
In
like manner, when John came,
neither eating bread nor drinking
wine, the unbelievers
were displeased, und said he had a demon.
When Jesus, us if for the very purpose of pleasing
them in that
wherein
John
displeased
them,
came eating and drinking, they
were still displeased. and said, Behold a glutton and n wine-hibber, a
friend of lublicans
and sinners.
Thr-y acte
like the ill-tempered
children.
justified
of her children.Wi~d()1ll is justified by her children
when they act as wisdom's children
should, thereby showing that she
has trained them wisely.
-Iesus
here assumes that he and John were
both children of wisdom, and that
they acted wisely thourrh thPJ acted
so differently. John's !i'feof Naznrite
abstinence WR8 wisely adapted to
the special mission on which he was
sent, that of preaching repentance,
But .lesus, corning on a mission
addressed not to one but to all the
aspects of human life, assumed no
peculiar personal habits, but preserved that evenness of balnnce and
harmony of attributes which wi~dom demanded in the ~"n of God.
Wisdom WR8 thus justified in both
of her children; and she is justified
in all of her children when they
prudently adapt their habits each
to the peculiar mission which God
by providence assigns him.

mi~hty works were done in these

cities than in any other cities: not,
more than in fill others. Notwithstanding this fact, however, we have
no record of nny miracles at all
wrought in either Chorazin or Bethsaida,
This shows that comparatively few of tho miracles are recorded.
they repented
not. - N otwithstanding the admiration of the people in these cities for .Iesus, the
dominion of sin within them was
not broken down; they did not repent, and consequently they were
not benefited by their heavenly
opportunities.
There were doubtless mnnv individual exceptions.
21. Ohorazin . . . Bethsaida.
-Chorazin
is not mentioned in the
Scripturee except in the denunciations of it. Jerome, who traveled
in Palestine in the latter part of
the second century, represents it
as two miles from Caperuaum (Alford, Lange).
Bethsaidu was the
home of Peter and Andrew (John
i, 44), and was also near Capernaum (viii. 14). No trace of these
villages is now seen hy the traveler.
in Tyre and Sidon.-We
are
not to infer that these two were the
wickedest
Gentile cities in the
world; but they are mentioned because they were near by, and their
wickedness was well known to the
Gnlileans.
would have repented.v-Jeece
here assumes that mirucles, when
rightly regarded, lead to repentance.
Their power is not inherent, but
depends on the proposition demon
strated by them. As .Iesus preached
Unbelieving Cities Upbraided,
repentance,
his mirncles demon
20-24.
struted his divine authority to de20. most of his mighty works. mand it, and the impenitence of his
-The meaning is, that more of his hearers proved them to be perverse

xi. 22-25.]

)tATTHEW.

works, which were done in you,

had been done ill Tyre and
Bi'don, they would have repented
long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
n But I say unto you, it shall be
more tolerable
for Tyre
and
Si'don at the day of judgment,
than for you.
:II And
thou, Caper'naum,
which
art
exalted
unto heaven, shalt [be brought:
CQme I down to hell:
for if the

101

mighty works, which have been

done in thee, had been done in
Sod'om, it would have remained
until this day.
But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the lund of Sod' Olll in the
day of judgment,
than for thee.
26 At that time .Je'~us answered,
and said, I thank thee, () Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent,
and
hast revealed
them unto babes.

23 ICdf'afj,l3a.a9Jjcrr,
Rec.
ICG.Tdfj7jUrl Lach.,
Ti""h., T. S. Green, Alford, Trcgd!cs.

o1Jld obdurate.
High privileges I 23. shalt come down to hell.abused render men more and more Not !tell (')"'na.), hut luulen (lib"s).
obdurate. The Galileans had abused l1\ot the final abode uf tLe wicked,
their former privileges, and now but the disembodied stute. On aethey were not so susceptible to good count of the suffer inj; which wicked
influences as their Gentile neigh- spirits endure there (8ee Luke Hi
bors, who had never known the will 25), when hades is mentioned in
of God. The same difference is connection with the wicked. the
still seen between communities, and idea of puuishment is conveyed.
between individuals of the same The expreseions.vexulted
to heaven,"
community.
'When the proper and .. brouj.(ht down to hades," are
time came for emngelizinj.( the Gen- both used figuratively; the former,
tiles, Tyre and Sidon both received to denote the high privileges which
the gospel, and verified the words Capernaum had enjoyed, and the
of the text.
(See Acts xxi. 3-6; latter, the ruin which awaited her.
xsvii. 3.)
The prediction has long since been
in sackcloth and ashes.v-Nct
fulfilled, lind the traveler now
that they would literally have put i searches among the runk weeds 00
on sackcloth and set down in the the lake shore to find, in the fragushes, which was the ancient cus- merits of stone whieh lie there, untom in times of great uftliotion (.Ioh I certain YCsti)!e8of the once popuii. J~; .Jonah iii. 6), but that their lous and well built city.
repentance would have been attended
Thalll.'.'yivillg 01' Jesus 25 26.
WIth extreme sorrow. such as often
'J'
,
found expression -in this way.
25. I thank thee.-A fter ex
22. uiore tolerable.-The cities I pressing himself so fully in regard
of Tyre ami Sidon, if judged hy to those who rejected him, Jesus
their actions alone, were far more 1 now, hy a natural transition, prowicked than these Galilean cities; ceeds to speak of those who received
but, bad llS they were, they were him. That he renders thanks for
better in proportion to their oppor the result, 8hows that he was not
tunities. and therefore they de-I displeased with it. On the contrary,
served less severity of punishmeot. it was an actual cause of rejoicing
The relative merits of men are to to him that he was received by
be determined by the correspond- those whom he calls" babes," and
ence between their lives and their rejected by the wise and prudent."
opportunitiea.
.....
God had "hid these thinga " from

I'

102

[xi.

MATTHEW.

26-80.

him.
Come unto me all ye
that labor and are heavy hulen,
and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you, and learn of
me; for I am meek and lowly
in heart: and ye shall find r(f8t
unto your souls. For Illy yoke
is easy, and Illy burden ill li~t

Even 80, Father:

for 80 it
seemed good in thy sight.
"'All thin~ are delivered unto
me of Dl y Father:
and no man
knoweth the Son, but the Father;
neither knoweth
allY mall the
Father, save the Soli, and he to
whomsoever the Son will reveal

the latter class through the natural is understood ller Father. (For I
operation of their own corrupted different opinion. dee Lange on thia
hearts and..I?erverted minds ~compo verse.)
notes on XIII. 14. 15; Mark IV. 12),
Incitation 27-30.
and he had revealed them to the
former through their more teachable
27. All things are delivered.
moral and mental condition; the --.Jesus here speaks hy anricipasame lil!;ht, meanwhile, shining on tion. In God's {'urpose, all things
both alike. The ground of rejoio- were already delivered to him, bu'
ing is not stated. but we can see at they were not actuall, delivered
least two considerations which were until his ~Iurification. (See note on
probahly included in it.
First, xxviii. 1M.)
those called .. the wise and pruno man knoweth. - That is,
dent "-the educated Jews-were 80 knoweth completely.
No one but
wedded to tradition and false theo- the Father thus knew the ::;01\ at
ries that the truth would not have that time; nor, indeed, dues any 8U
been so safe in their keeping as in know him even lit this time. And
that of men fresh from the ';uasses no one thus knows the Father exof the people. It is certain that the cept the ~un and those to whum the
chief corrupters of the truth in Son will reveal him. This revealevery age have sprung from the for- ing is done partly in this world and
mer class of men. Second, the fact partly in the world to come. The
that the gospel was originally estab- assertion makes it certain that no
lished in the earth chiefly' by the correct knowledge of Bod can he
labors of the poor and the Illiterate, obtained except through revelation,
in the face of bitter opposition from
28. Come unto me.- The prethe rich and powerful. is an over- ceding remarks are prefatory to this
whelming argument in its favor; im-itation. The dominion which he
but this ar~ment would stand re- exercises, and the knowledge which
versed, if It had been the "wise he can impart, justify him in invitand prudent" instead of "bahes"
ing meu to eome to him.
who at first received it. The anticlabor ...
rest.-The
labor and
ipation of this result may have con- the rest here spoken of are those
tributed to the ::-;avior'srejoicing.
which affect the soul (verse :!'.l);
26. for so it seemed good.the labor and the heavy burden
Instead of for, we should have that. which sin imposes, the rest which
The entire verse is an abbreviated follows the forgiveness of sins.
re~etition of the thanksgivinJ.(, and I Physical burdens are also mnde
is Introduced for the sake of empha- lighter hy coming to Jesus, because
sis. It should he rendered thus; the soul is made stronger to bear
. Even so, Father, that BO it seemed them.
good in thy sillh" ". thank thee"
29,30. meek and lowly.-That

'

xii. 1-4. J

MATTHEW.

103

XII. At that time Je'sus

went on the sabbath day through
the corn : and his disciples were
an hungered, and- began to pluck
the ears of corn, and to eat.
Hut when the Pharisees saw it,
they said unto him, Behold, thy:
disciples do that which is not

I lawful to do upon the sabbath

day. I But he said unto them,
Have ye not read what David
did, when he was. an hungered,
and they that were with him:
how he entered into the house
of' God, and did eat the shewbread, which was 110t lawful for

Jesus is meek and lowly in heart,

assures the invited that no grievous
exuctions ' will be made of them;
and that hi~ yuke is easy, and his
burden light, is a good reuson why
the heayih laden should come, The
tenderness
and bcauty of this invitation
are the admiration
of the
world.

evidence
such II.Il this that enables
the Bible to furnish
in itself the
proof that it came from God.

ARGL"1IENT

OF

l'lECTlO~

WITH

xi I.

TUB

I'UARISKKII,

About

Plucking
Grain on the t-\[ll).
hath, 1-8; Auout
He-a li ng (JJI the
Hahhath, 9-13; Je8uM Ret i res
Iro m
:S,nr". J.l.-21; About en,'ill/! out V .
mons, 22-30; The (JII pn rd o u a ble :-:'IU,
81--:17;A Sign De ma ncled. ;j~;!; I'arable 0( the Uuclean
f-Pll it,
~3-4.'i;
Lut err e-re-uce of His MOl her and Br ot h
ers, 4ti-5U.

8.

By the speech of .Jesus, which

constitutes
the body of thi~ section.
Matthcw pruves th~t the -Iews we're
both inconsistent
and inexcusable
when they rejected Juhn and Jesus.
Inconsisteut,
boenuse
they
condemned each for nut livin/!: as the
uther did; and inexcusable.
because
they disregarded
evide nce which
would have couvinced the w ickedest
c it ies ill the wurld.
There is also a
?il!t.'ity and /!:randeu: in the authorttatrve sentence
WhICh Jesus
J?ronouuces
on the impenitent
cities;
in his lofty assertion of divine puwer
and knowledge;
and ill his benerolent invitation
for all who are weary
and lu-avy laden to come to him.]
which al'C in perfect ke!'ping with
hi . lain. to be the ~on of God.
Tit., sent imvnts impress
the soul
88
I.l'illg' truthful
and
pPl'tinent
uttvrauccs
fr..m a beinl! full uf divine power and ~oodlle~8. whereas
in >lily created
being they would
appear
the extreme
of arrogance!
ant! prvn-ntiousness.
Thpy could
nut have " .ij!inated in H talse and
deceitful
spirit. such Il~ the spirit
of -Iesua must have bee n if he was
Dot the Son of God,
It i. internal:

LX.

SECTJOX
DISPUTATIONS

Abon t

Pl!!('king Grain 071 the

1-8. (Mark ii. 23-28;
Luke vi. 1-5.)
Sal.l.ath,

corn. - The
called ""1'1, in
uur ycrsio~,
were
frequently
t.lll
fenced,
lJelng protected
from )1I'e
stock by the vitdlan('e of shcplu-rds
and herdsmen.
TIll' 11IUI'"W co "dH
ran
through
the Iield-, nnd the
I bending
heads
of the
ril"'llilll!
grain
wer e within
reach
or the
I passer-by on either side ..
2. not lawful to de. - The
charf!:c of the Pharisees wa s false.
The law did not forbid ea!illg or
preparing
foud on the ~HLI.ath.
3,4. What David did.-.'('Bu~
e~pressly
admits that what 1>>1\ id
did was unlawful;
and SOlD" bare
j supposed
that he here intends
to
I justify
it on the ground
(If necesi sity, and then tu ar~ue that his disI ciples, though guilty of vidating
the law of the Sabbath. are justrfia1.

through

the

fields of small grain

104

MATTHEW.

[xii. ~7.

him to eat, neither for them: lone greater: a fI1"eater tAi1lgi

which were with him, but only! than the temple.
T But
if ye
for the priests 1 lOr have ye I had known what this meaneth,
not read in the law, how that on II will have mercy, and not saothe sabbath days the priests in rifice, ye would not have conthe temple profane the sabbath,
and are blameless? But I say 6 ,..i( Ir. ".'(0., Lach . Tisch., T. S.
unto you, That in this place is Green, Alford, Trcgellc s,
ble on the sarae ground. There is day. The pr iesta in the temple
no doubt that on this ground David were required to offer sacrifice, trim
excused himself for eating ~he sho~- the I$0hl~ulamps, and burn incense
bread, and that the Pharisees dld'l on tile Sabbath, and these acts rethe same for him. Rut it can not: quired manual labor. In this case,
be that he who refused to turn the general law against labor on the
stones into bread when tortured hy Sabbath was modified by the specific
a forty days' ['LRt,aud who slLid,: law concerning the temple service.
"V,hosoeycr shall break one of The term "profane" is used, not
these least commandments, and because it was a real profanation,
teach men so, shall be called the but because, being labor, it had tb
least in the kingdom of heaven," appearance of profanation.
Thwould appro\'e such a violation of example proves that the prohibitior
law lL8 David was guilty of. Neither of labor on the Sabbath was nOI
can it be that he allowed his own universal, and as it WlL8 not, it
disciples while under the law to might not include what the discibreak the Sabbath. If Christians pies had just done.
may violate law when its observance
6. greater than the temple.
would involve hardship or suffer- - A greater thwg, not per.,on.
ing, then there is an end of suffer- (See the critical note.) The disciin~ for the name of Christ, and an pies who ate the grain are compared
end even of self-denial. Rut it is to the priests in the temple; and the
clear that by the Phnr i-oes David's temple, with that which led the disact was thought excusable; other- ciples to the act in question
This
wise they could have retorted on WlL8 the servie which they were
Jesus thus: Out of your own mouth rendering to .JeHI~-a service which
we condemn you: you class your sometimes prevented
the usual
act with David's; but David sinned, means of providing food It was
and 80 do you
Now the real argu- their obligation to serve him which
ment of .Iesus is this: David, when was greater than the temple, that
hungry, ate the show-bread, which is greater than the obligation of the
it was confes,pdly unlawful for him tem pl service on the priests. If,
to eat, yet you justify him: my dis- then, th e priests were justifiable,
oiplr- pluck grain and eat it on the iuuch more the disciple".
8abh,Ith, an act which the law does
7. mercy, and not sacrifice.not forbid, and yet you condemn
On the uieuning of this expresthem
sion, see note on ix. 13. The arjru5. the priests in the temple.- ment is. that mercy toward these
Having silenced his opponents hy I hun~('ring disciole WlL-~ more acthe argument ad hominem; he next II ceptable to God than sucr iflces at
proves by the law itself that some the altar, and that, if the Phar isees
worlr. may bo done on the :;abbath- had known the meaning of tho p_

xii. ~12.]

rtL\TIHEW.

demned the guiltless. For the

Son of man is Lord [even] of
the sabbath day.
'And when he W88 departed
thence, he went into their "ynagogue:
10 and,
behold, there
was a man which had his hand
withered. And they asked him,
saying, Is it lawful to heal on
the sabbath days? that they

I said
might accuse him.
And he
unto them, 'Vhat man
11

[shall there be] among you,

that shall have one sheep, and
if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold
011 it, and lift it out?
12 How
much then is a mall better than
a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath

8 Kd' lite. Omitted by Lach., TIsch., T.

8. Green, AlIord, 'I'regelles,

sage, they "would

not have condemned the guiltless."
8. Lord of the sabbath.-That
he wus Lord of the SaLlmth-a
fuct
which his previous works had demoustrated-c- placed his conduct
in
regurd to the Sabbath above criticism. and made it really a guide lUI
to the proper way to observe the
Sabbath.
This remark
takes the
question outside the ranl$e of argument. and brings
it WIthin the
range of authority.
it should be observed that, in this
discuss ion, Jesus sought chiefly to
expose the inconsisteucy
of his assailnnts, and to assert his own divine authority.
He reserved to another opportunity
a. more detailed
argument
to prove the innocence
of uets of mercy on the Sabbath.
(See next peragraph.)

About Healing
9-13 (~lark
6-11.)

011 the Sabbath.

iii. 1-; Luke vi.

9. into their synagogue.

-It
is highly probable
that when the:
preceding di"l'utation
occurred, JeIUS, foreknowing
what would take
place afterward
in the synagogue,
reserved
other remarks
about the
Sabbath for that occasion.
10. to heal on the sabbath.ln the field the Pharisees
had boldly declared that it Willi unlawful to

11 <UTa, lite. Omitted by Tisch.,

Green, Alford. TregeUes.

T. 8.

I pluck the grain on the Sabbath ; in

bouse. reminded
of another I1&'pect of the Sabbath
question
by
seeing the man with a withered
I hand, but taught discretion by their
previous defeat, they approached tho
subject with a question:
"Is it lawful to heal on the Snbbuth-duys " "
They desired to appear aR if seeking information,
but Matth .w says
they asked the que8tion "that they
might accuse hiin j " that is, that
they might find in his answer or
his act some ground of nccusatiou.
11, 12. lawful
to do well.The argument ill this case is drawn
from the practice of his accusers,
and 011 this account it is an uruuument ad lunniuem ; but the !)raetice was proper in itself, and therei fore it is also an argument lid rem.
A8sumin~, with the consent of all
parties. that it was lawful to relieve
i the sufferings of .. one sheep" on
i the ~abbath, he argues, much more
is it lawful to do the same for a
~man; and hence the general
conelusion that .. it is lawful to do well
on the Sabbuth-days."
1t is not an
: excusable iolation of law, but it is
la 11:(11 I. From the two disputatious
t.aken together, the pcol,ll' lenrned
that work" of rpli~lOlI. lik those
of the priests in the temple. and
works of humanity.
l ikr- r.eding
the hungry and h.aling tho sick,
were lawful on the Sal;batl.

I the

I
I

106

MATTHEW.

days.
11 Then
saith he to the
man, Stretch forth thine hand.
And he stretched it forth; and
it W!I.'l restored whole, like as
the other.
10 Then
the Phar'isees went
out, and held a council against!
him, how they might destroy
him. 16 But when J e'sus knew
it, he withdrew himself from
thence: and great multitudes
followed him, and he healed
them all; l' and charged them
that they should not make him
known: 11 that it might be ful-

[xii. 13-21.

filled which was spoken by Ega'

ias the prophet, saying, l' Behold my servant, whom I have
I chosen; my beloved, in whom
my soul is well pleased: I will
put IIlV spirit upon him, ami he
shall ~hew judgment to the Gen'
I tiles.
It He shall uot strive,
nor
I cry;
neither shall allY man heal
his voice in the streets.
.A
bruised reed shall he not break,
and smoking flax shall he not
quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. II And in his
name shall the Gen'tiles trust.

13. saith he to the man.-Men

events of this paragraph.
The
are apt to be content with merely quiet retreat of .Iesus from the' iopro"i,,!! the propriety of a certain
lence threatened by the Phnr iseos
conrse
of uctiun ; hut Jesus fol- fulfilled the prediction, . lIe shu ll
lowed the proof with the act. He not strive, nor cry; neither shall
commanded the man to stretch forth anl man hoar his voice (an!!-ry
h is withered hand: he did 80, and VOIC(
in the streets;"
and the
it was withered no longer.
I healing of the multitudes who fol14-21 I lowed him (15) fulfilled the predioJ'S'I'" R e tiIres ji rom.o "t;r,
rt.; e,
.'
b
th I . d
d
d I
(~lark iii. 7-12.)
non ~ out
e )fuI~e. rce an the
smoking flax. A hru ised reed hare14. a council against him.ly stronz enough to stnnd erect. or
\Vhpn men are determined to main- bowed with its hoad toward the
tain a position, without regnrd to earth; and Amoking tlux (a lamptruth or justice, defeat in urgument wivk ), its flame extinguished and its
always throws them into 1\ passion fire almost gonf'. fitly represent the
'I'hr- Pharisees were true to de-' sick. nnd lame. and hl ind \\ h were
l,ra"cd human nature in now bold- I brought to .IPRU~ to bp hl'al,d The
Ill!! a council to determine how I -tuternent that he would nut I,,.~(/,,
thov mi.rht destroy .Iesu, these l.rur-ed f(>,.ls,1101''!lIc",.h this
15,16. he withdrew himself.-18111okin/!
flax. wns an emphatic deeJ n c",tnL.~t with the course of his I lurution, by contrast. that he would
enemi.-s .. Iesus, thouzh victorious, I heul their bruises and fan their dyretires from the conflict. and pur- ling energies into a flame
"Ilpq. ill otlu-r pla,.e8. the '>'en u-uor : judgment
unto victory. -In
of his way-still
healinz the 8i.k: thi ex pressinn the term jlld!!mcnt
and forbidding them to gin> u n- I is put for that Authoritative annec('8Hary publicity to his nunu
I II. ,II nl'('ult'nt
of the divine will
17-20. that it might be ful- I which wus so nt forth in the I!osfilled.-Thl'
first part of till' quota- ' pel, and the victorv i8 that which
tion from Isaiah (verse IS) is de- I the I!:Il'l"'1 is w inn inv
scriptive of the person and charao- : 21. shall the Gentiles trust.ter of .Iesus : that contained in Th is verse refers to the reception
verses 19 and 20 i.e fulfilled in th.P ' of the gospel hy th . Ge.,tile8. and
e o

xii. 22-2f;' J

MATTHEW.

Then W8.' brought unto him

one possessed with /l. devil, blind,
and dumb: and he healed him,
insomuch that [the blind and]
dumb [both]
spake and saw.
And ail the people were amazed,
and said, Is not this the BOIl of
Da'vid t But when the Phar'isees heard it, they said, This

107

fellow doth not cast out devils,

but by Beel'zehuh the prince of
the devils.
II And [Jesus] knew
their thoughts,
and saill unto
them, Every kingdom divided
against "tself is brought to desolation; and every city or house
divided against itself shall not
stand: - and if Sa' tall cast out
Sa'tan,
he is divided
against

22 .Ab~ , R.
Omitted by Llu'h .
Thoch . K. B. D. k. ete., S, Ilyriac. Coptic.
22
R.
Omitted by Lach., TllIch.,
2~ I> '1".,.0;;0 R. Omitted
by Lach.,
T. S. Green, Alford.1'rpgclles.
Tt.ch. T. 8. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

."i

ill quoted here merely to complete power of God The Pharisees, bethe connection, not because it was 109 unable to deny the reality of
fulfilled in the incidents of the par- the miracle, and knowing that deagraph.
mons are under the command of
AftOtll Ca.ti1lrl out Demons,
22-30. Satan, resorted to their only alter))' 27 L k . 14- 3)
native by affirming that the power
('I ark ii
Ill. :,,:,,- ; u e xr,
2.
was satanic. They did not affirm
22, 23. were amazed. and this in regard to all of Christ's
IBid.-The
aatonishment was un- miracles i for it would have been
usual, becuuse this man WRS not absurd to represent Satan as R healon lv a demoniac, but also blind er of diseases and a friend of man ;
and dumh,
It was a triple cure. but it was affirmed only of casting
By their 1ue8tion, Is not this the out demons. The assertion, if heBon of )avid?" the people ex- Iieved by the people, would not
pressed in a tone of triumph their only have destroyed their confiraith in Jesus.
dence in the divine mission of .Ie24. but by Beelzebub.-Beelsus, but it would have established
sebub is a corruption of Baalze- in the place of it the injurious supbub, the god of th fly, a deity of position of a league with Satan
the Ekronites.
(See 2 KR, i. 2.) It derived great plausibility from
How this old god of the By, who the consideration, that as there
W8I\ worshiped
l,y the Philistines were at least two powers by which
of Ekron to protect them from the demons might be cset out, and lUJ
flies and other pestiferous insects, both wcre invisible. it might !lpcam!' to be identified in the Jewish peRr impossihle to decide whether
mind with Satan (see verse 26), is It was the power of God or the
not known by modern scholars. power of Satan.
The Pharisees
The name occurs in the Bible only thought that they had advanced an
in 2 Ks i. 2. and in this and the explanation which, whether true or
parullel places in Mark and Luke.
false, Jesus could not clearly disIn their explanation of this mir- prove; and Jesus himself considacle, the Pharisees displayed some I ered it worthy of the very thorthought and ingenuity,
There are! ough and exhaustive reply which
only two possible methods of. evad-I' follows.
.
ing t.he 10JZ;icalforce of ~ miracle:
.25, 26. Every kingdom dione IS to deny the reality of the I vlded.-Here
we .have the first armiracle; and the other, to refer the gument of Jesus in reply. The exeB'ect to Bome other cause than the I planation given by the Phariseee
.l

MATTHEW.

[xli. 27, 28.

himself'; how shall then his

kine.dom stand? 11 And if I by
Beel'zebub cast out devils, by
whom do your children cast

them out? therefore they shall

be your judges. But if I cast
out devils by the Spirit of God,
then the kingdom of God is

represented
Satan as divided againBt
himself':
for he never achieved
so
signal a triumph
over living men
as when he held them in possession
of evil spirits;
and, to rob himself
of so ~reat a victory would be to
fight against his own kingdom,
and
to involve it to that extent in the
desolation common to all kingdoms
divided against themselves.
He argUt~. not that Satan could not do
this. but that he would not, and that
therefore
the explanntion
which
BUl'po~e" him to do it is absurd.

a miracle.
But it was some diseased
condition
of mind,
of
body, or of both, which
enabled
demons to pORsess certain
peJ'Rons;
otherwise they would hare possessed
all; and it is probable
that, I,y Home
method of treatment
through which
the disease was cured and the demon, in some instances,
thrown uff,
the exorcists had gained credit with
the people; but their usual attempts
at exorcism
have all the marks of
trickery
and imposture."

21. by whom do your children. - The perRons referred to

0"

28. by the Spirit of God.-

Having
sufficiently
proved by the
two preceding
argumentll that he had
were exorcists,
a class of persona
not cast out demons by the power
among the .Iews who were aecredof Satan, he now takes aM granted
ited with the power of casting out the only alternative,
that he did it
demons, and who were held in high by the Spir-it of God;
and from
esteem by the Pharisees.
(See Acts this estublished
fact he drnwa the
z ix. 13: Josephus
Ant. B. 8, ch. 2, conclusion,
"then
the kin~dl)m of
~ 5.) The truth of the charge that God is come to you."
The arguJesus east out demons by the pow ment, fully stated, is this: If 1 ClI.I!t
er of Satan,
depended
un the as- out demons
by the ~pirit of U"d,
sumption
that he had access to no
As an illustration,
both of the trkkl'ry
other power by which it could be
referred to 8.1111 of the surpr'isi ug r-omrast
done.
But if this ;l"""l1l'tion
were between the maneuvers or the l'xoTeh-ta
true, then it would affect the exor- and the miraeles of Jesus, we copy from
cists as well as himself.
On the Josephus the Iollowing account of all exorr-ivm : . I have seen a certaiu mu n uf my
other
hand,
if th y cast out de- own country. w hose name was Ell'fll.ll.r,
mons by divine
pow!'r, then the releasing people who were dcrnoniava! ill
the presence of YCl'ol,ru.iali. and his sons,
same might be true of him.
This and
hi. captains, and the whole um ltiwas
an argument
ad hominem,
tude of his soldiers.
The murmer jlt" the
cure
was
this: he put H. r-ing which had a
which could be answered
only by
root of one of thoxe sorts menttoned
hy
showing that the exorcists had some Solomon, to the uosrrils of the demoniac,
reason
to claim
favor with God, after which he drew 011 t the demon
hi' nostrils; and when the man
which
.Iesus had not;
and this through
fell down Immediately.
he adjured him
they dared not pretend.
to return into him no more, ma king ~tnl
It is not implied
in this ar).!u- mention of Solomon. and reciting the
Incnntatton-, which he cornposed . And
ment
that the exorcists
actually
when Eleaza r wnn Id per-nude and dem ..
onstrate
to tlle ~pe(lH.toni that he had such
cast out demons, but only that the
power, nc -at a httle WRy off a cup or
Pharisees
believed they did.
It is abnsin
full of water. and eommauded
the
quite certain
that they could not demon. ItS he went out of the man. to
overturn
it,
8.1),1 thereby
to
let
the
speccaat out demons
by a word, as Jetators know that he had left the mall '
JUS did;
for this would have been
Ant. B. 8. ch, 2, f 5.

xii. 29-31.]

MATTHEW.

come unto you. Or else how

can one enter into a strong
man's house, and spoil his goods,
except he first bind the strong
man? and then he will spoil his
house. 10 He that is not with
this proves the divine authority of
all that I 81\y; and therefore you
should helieve that the kingdom of
God is at hand, as I have preached
it to you.
29. bind the strong
man.Here we huve the fourth and lust
argument of the series. Satan is
the strong man, his house the body
of the dcmoniuc, and his goods the
evil spir it within the mall. .lesus
had entered his house and robbed
him of hiM goods; and this proves
that, instead of being in league
with Hamn, he had overpowered
him.
Great must have been the Burprise of the Pharisees when they
heard this reply. An explanation
by which they thought they had
both refuted the argument drawn
from his miracle, and turned the
force of the miracle n~llin~t him,
has only furnished him with an
occasion to show the absurdity of
their explanation and their logical
inconsistency in propounding it; to
prove, mure clearly than ever, that
he acted by divine authority; and
to demonstrate the fact that he was
making successful warfare against
the dominion of Sutan,
30. not with me is against
me.-This
remark was intended, I
think. for the by-standers. It Wf\.8
important for them to see that
there was no middle ground-that
those who wer . not with him and
hell.ill~ him to glLther. were .with
the Pharisees, and ht'll!in~ them to
scatter abroad.
In the fig:ure of
gathering and scattering. the pt'Opie are compared to a flock uf

105

I me

is against me; and he that

gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
11 Wherefore
I say unto you,
All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men : but

sheep, which Jesus was endeavoring to gather into the fold, while
his enemies were trying to scatter
them abroad.
The Uupordonable Sin, 31-3;.
(Mark iii 28-30.)

31. blasJlhemy
against
the
Holy Spint.-llIasphemy
is !lny
kind of injurious speech.
The
blasphemy against the Holy t'pirit
here denounced is the evil speech
just made by the Pharisees, in
which a work performed by the
Holy Spirit Wll8 attributed to Sntan. This is made still plainer in
Mark's report of this conversation.
(Mark iii. 30.) Whether a man
can commit this blasphemy in any
other way, does not nppear from the
text. It is most likelv that .l.ilm
refers to this sin when he ~aJ~:
.There is a sin unto death: 1 do
not say you should pray fur it."
(I .Iohn v. 16.) There has been
much superstition and some idle
speculation connected with tl,is
subject, which we will not pnuse
to consider in detail,
It is hest
in this, Il8 in all other matters, to
be content with what is clearly
taught.
31, 32. shall be forgiven.The statement that all manner of
lin and blnsphemy shall he forciven
to men, is not a declaration of un iversnl pardon.
George Campbell
thinks that sh nll be is here u Hebraism for may be.* The Hebrew
language, having no potential mood.
Note.

on the GooIpels {II loco.

110

MArrHEW.

[xii .. a2-34.

the blasphemy against the Holy Ghust, it shnll not be forgiven

Ghost shall not be forgiven [unto him, neither in this world,
men]. "Alld whosoever speaketh neither in the world to come.
a word against the Hon of mall, it I ssEither make the tree good,
shall be fr)rgivPll him: hut who- and his fruit good; or dee make
soever speaketh against the Holy the tree corrupt, and his fruit
corrupt: for the tree is known
81 Toi< ,h8p,"".'. Ree. Omitted by Laeh.,
by his fruit. 0 generation of
T. S. Green. 'I'regelles, N. B etc., 11.,Vulgate, Coptrc, etc.
vipers, how can ye, ""ing evil,

used the future indicative as 3 substitute for it; and Jews, in writin;::
Greek, sometimes did the same
through habit. But it is true, litern.lly, that till manner (If sin and
blasphemy.
with the exception
stated ill the text, will be for~ivcn
to men; that is. IillI(ln~ the mnumerable
~inR ff)r~i\'en through
Christ, some to 011(' man and some
to another, eyery conceivable sin
will be forgiven except the one in

here rendered world (ai':'.) is bv

most scholars rpndpreda.lle \\'hether
"this age " and" the alt" to COIDP"
mean the .Jewish u;::!' which then
WaR. and the Christian IL)!C which
was to come : or the II)!" of tim,',
and the coming a~c of etr-rnity. is
not clear. In {'ithf'r case, however,
the sin remains fore.el' unforziven :
for the Christian ugp extends to the
dav of judgment. and beyond that
ther-e i~ no furziveness.
To \.{'
question.
/!uilty of ~ilI that never shall b,'
32. shall not be forgiven.-'
forgiven. whether it be th si n that
\Vhy it is more certainly fatal to i is unpardonnhle. or 011'1',,1." qin that
speak ugain1<t the Holy Spir it than I is not pardoned, is to he pt"mally
aguin~t the Son of man, muy be in' miserable.
TII1~ ulonr- is sufficieut
part beyond our powers of com pre- \ proof of (,YI'r!u,tin:..:punishment
hension : but this much we know, I 33. known by his fruit.-By
that one who speaks Ilgainst the' this br-ief allf'g<ll)'. th apl'linlti,)J]
latter may subsequently
he con-: of which i~ iud icuted below .I.SI18
vineed by the testimony of the Holy I lays bare the ,'ause of the Hi!
~ri]'it, and become a believer. But; ~T;eechof the Phur isr-e,and prf'plll'''''
if he reject the evidence given by thp wuv for a /!"n"ml stateru ent in
the Holy SI?irit and nscr ibe it to refere~('C' to all evil .p"pch
AM R
~at.lJl. he rejects the only evidence tree i8 known by its fruit, a man is
on whioh faith can be bnsed , and known hy his .peeeh
without faith there is no forgive- I 34. how can ye.-A. tl", all ..
nt""~ If it he answered that a man f!nry imports thpy I"'ill\! lik" till'
might do this at one period of his bad tree which "ould not h.ur :..:o"d
life and subsequently
be convinr-od fruit. could not "8p!,llk :..:"o,!th i ngs "
lind r.pent. wp reply that this is The epith{'t .. generation
of 'rippr(',.i."ly what the M.I\ior, in effect, i ers " (more aecurute ly render .d
"llY" ho can not do. and we there- I . "fT,'llritJfl (-y.n?l1M") of vipers" J.
f,)rp ~IlppO"C that one who is AO is thrown in to intens i lv th thouzht
desp-ratvlv wicked as to he :..:uilty of their ., hpill!! evil." nnd it points
of this .in, is nlresdv hovond the to the vr-nomou mnlice and (,Illlnin~
reach of redemption.
HIlCh was' with wh i.-h thp)' laid their pInts
the condition of sorne of the Phnr- . ngain~t him
isees (xxiii :i3; .Ioh n viii. 21.) I 34, 35. of the heart.-Htill
the world to come.-The
term tracinz Ill' tllfl ,',\11.,' of the 1"3.~-

"

xii

MATIHEW.

35-39.]

HI

epeek good things?

for out of account thereof in the day of

the abundance of the heart the judgment.
IT For by thy words
mouth speaketh. itA good man thou shalt be justified, and hy thy
out of the good treasure [of the words thou shalt be condemned,
heart]
brmgeth
forth good
Then certain of the scribes
things: and an evil man out of and of the Pharisees answered
the evil treasure bringeth forth: Ehim], saying, Master, we would
evil things. M But I say unto I see a sign from thee. S. But he
you, That ' every idle word that answered and said un to them,
men shall speak, they shall give An evil and adulterous genera38 aw.; Added by Lach.,
Green, Alford, Tregelles.

35 <i< <aptia< to
OmItted by Lach.,
Tisch., T. 8. Green. Alford, Tregelles,

Tisch., T. 8.

and of all evil speech, he' should seem to come short of it."
here locates it in the heart, assert- (Reb. iv. 1.)
ing that l.oth the J!ood thing~ of the A S'
D
d 3"-4"
(Luke
tgn
eman
e .. o -.
~
::rood mr.n, nnn~ t he eVI'1 th iIn,2:8 0 f
. a)9-3'
the evil man, are brought forth out
Xl. -.
of the heart.
The stat of the
38. we would see a sign,-Both
heart, then, determines the speech their request for a sign, and the anand action of the rnan ; and these, swer of Jesus Aayin/! that none
on the other hund, determine the would be given except till' ~ign of
state of the heart
The T"'pular Jonah, show that they meant a Rign
proverb, . If the heart is right. all different from those he had b('('n
IS right," is strictly
true; and it showing, and one which thy might
is true. not, us is often supposed.] regard as more directly and urnnisbecause God overlooks evil conduct I takably from God. They meant
when the heart is right; hut "he-! the same as when thf'y afterward
cause. when du' heart is right, nil I demanded a sign from heaven.
the conduct j~ jUM such as it ou!!:ht {xvi. 4.)
to bo. Whenever there is an evil
39, 40. Sign of the prophet.word spoken, an evil net performed, ! This remark shows that tne \'t'ry
or a duty neglected. it i" because the i Ringular incident of being swallowed
heart is not right at that point. ~hy a great fish and thrown up on
Let us not deceive our own hearts. dry land after three days, occurred
(.J8.Il. ii. 26), nor b!' deceived lUI to i to the prophet :18 1\ type of the
their state, (Ps. xix. 12.)
i burial and resurrection of ChriRt.
36, 37, every idle word.-Not
This WR8a Ai,!!nfrom heaven because
onlv for words spoken with evil it was wrought hv God without hupurpos(\, but for idle words, those man instrurnentu litv.
which are ~p(>hn for no I'urpo~e,
three days and three nights,
we shall give account in the day of -As Jesus was buried late Friday
judzment, and by them be con- afternoon, and arose before sunrise
demnod or justified. 'Vere it not Sunday morning, he was in the
for the p:rnci()uRprnvi~i{)n8 of the, tomb only an hour or two "f Fr ij!:o"pel by which our evil speeches I dRY, all of ~atnrclay, and between
shall be forgiven (31), who would eleven and twelve hours of Sundav,
he able to stund ? "Let us fear, oountinu the day, accord in).!to .Jpwlest. a prom ise b('inp: left us of en- ish custom, IlR bPl!innin!!;with SUDterill~ jnto his teRt. any of you set. It WW\ not, then, according to
phl!my

112

MATTHEW.

[xii. 40.

tion seeketh after a sign; and it, but the sign of the prophet
there shall no sign be given to J 0' nas: for as J 0' nas was .three
our mode of expreMion, !.bree days rise after three dl\.ys, it would be
and three nights, but only two necessary to guard the sepulcher
nighte and a part of three daYII. until within the fourth day; and
We inquire how the statement of 110, the fast for Esther should have
the text can be true, and, in order! run into the fourth day, the people
to an intelligible answer, we note I should have returned to Rehohoam
the following facte and eonsidera- on the fourth day, and Joseph should
tiona,
have released his brethren on the
I. The time between his death fourth day. It is the peculiar and
and his resurrection is expressed in inaccurate usage of the .Iews which
three different forms. Most fre- makes the difference; and thl\.t the
quently it if!"aid that he would rille New Testament writers continued
al!:ain on the third day.
(xvi. 21; this established usage is proved by
xvii 23, et al.) Once it is said the fact, that when Matthew and
that he would rise after three day8 Mark report the same words of
(Mark viii. 31); and once, in our Jesus, one of them U8e8 the exprestext, that he would be in the heart sion "011 the third day," and the
of the earth three days and three other, "after three days," (xvi. 21;
nights.
Mark viii. 31.)
2. The Jews, in all periods of
3. In reality, after three dar-.
Bible history, used the expressions and, after three days and three
after three days and 011 the third nights, are equivnlont expressions,
day, as equivalents. Thus Moses for if you count, for example, from
says that Joseph put his brethren Friday at sunset, after three daYI
into prison three days; yet in the would be after snnset on Monday,
next sentence he represente him as the three days being Saturday, ~unreleasing them" ()/I the third day." day, and ~lond!Ly. But in this pe(Gen. xlii. 17, 18.) When the peo- riod would be included three nights,
pie petitioned Rehoboam to lighten viz, Friday night, 8aturdaJ night,
their burden, he said, "Depart ye and Sunday night. Now It is not
for three days, then come again to, always true in the UI~eof words, 118
me." They departed, and "came I it is in Mathematics, that things
again the third day, as the king had I which are equal to the same thing
appointed."
(1 Ks. xii. 5, 12.) are equal to each other; but seeing
When Esther was about to venture that the expression after three day,
into the king's presencl', she in- means the same with a .Iew as on
structed the Jews in Shushan to the third day, and that the expresfast three days, night and day; yet sion after three days covers the
she went in on the third day. (E'I. same length of time I\S the expresiv. 16; v. 1.) Still more in ~oint, Ision three day., and three nights,
when the Pharisees
petitioned Ithe last expression would most natPilate for a guard, they said to him, urally be used 118 an equivalent for
"This deceiver said while he was the first That it was so used
set alive, A.fter three days I will Jesus, is clear from the fact that, in
rise again.
Command, therefore, speaking of the same lapse of time.
that the sepulcher be made sure he sometimes says Oil the third day.
until the third day." (xx-vii.6~, 64.) and at leaet once he B!Ly8, "Ihru
Now with D8, if he were going to days aud three ni!1hi8."
The on},

b,

xiJ 41. 42.]

MATTHEW.

113

days and three nights in the

whale's bellv; so shall the Son
of man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth.
" The men of Nin' eveh shall rise
in judgment with this generation, and "hall condemn it: because they repented at the
preaching of' .J o'nas ; and, behold,

a greater than Jo'nas is here.

The queen of' the south shall
rise up in the judgment with
this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the
uttermost parts of the earth to
hear the w isdom of Sol'omon ;
and, behold, a greater than Sol'omon is here.

escape from this conclusion is to

suppose that on the occasion of our
text he dehhorutelv and without
reason contradicted hrrnself in the
pre_ence of his enemies But those
enPIDlCS theruseh es, ns w e have
seen, understood and employed the
usage as he did, and it appears that
all paTtIe~ nmon).( the .1t'\\8 understood these expresHiunH 11.8 equi\3r
lents
There is no contradiction,
then, between this and other passazes on the subject, but the apJ;lear
anec of contradrction ariR!'8 entirely
from a peculiar .lewish usaae.
It m.IY be well to remark at this
point, that the abov e mentioned
facts refute the hypothesis of some,
that Jesus was burred un the afternoon of Thursday
If he had been
buried on Thursday, and had risen
Sunday morning, he would have
been in the grave three nights, but
he would also have been there parts
of four da!J.~, and the Jewish expre ion would have been, he wi.ll
arise the fourth day, or, after four
da!ls A8 proof of this, if we count
the time from the appearance of
the an~el to Cornehus (Acts x ) till
the ann 11.1 of Peter at the house of
Cornelius, w e find that it is precisely three d.ws, ncoordmg to our
mode of countln~, but it includes
three nights and parts of four days,
and hence Cornelius S'I\ 8 to Peter,
Four days Il.!!O 1 was (.I~ting until
thie hour," etc (Act x ;{O)
41,42. and condemn it.- When
one man does well and another,
under more favorable circum-unncea,

does ill, the former condemns the

latter by showing that he could
have done much better if he would.
That the Ninevites repented at *
the prenching of .Ionah was in this
way a condemnation of the Jews,
because the latter would not repent
at the preaching of 11. far greater
than Jonah, and that the queen of
the South came so far to hear the
wisdom of Solomon, was a still
severer
condemnation
of them,
because they despised
a much
greater wisdom which was in their
midst

10

,! ,

The preposttlon
here rendered
at 18
;,.;, w hrch usually means into Some w nter- have contended
that It here means
be<.ame uf, or In co~e'luenfe
oj, a meaning
qiute forcrgu to the word
It 18 true, as a
matter of fact that the ~ me' lies rvpen ted
in consequence of the preac h mg of Jonah;
bnt If It had been the purpose of the
writer to expre th" thouuht , he would
have n-ed the preposttron ota Instead of
~,~. The thought of the passage 18 quite
disunct from this
Thl') repented
mto
the prear ru ug of Jonah
T'nl~ IS not
idromatu
t nahsh , but It r-onvex b the exact
thought "Inch a Grec k would dortve from
the orrgrnal. The term prcach,no IS put
for the cour-e 01 lite required
by the
preachmg and It 1~ asserted that they repented tnto this ThClT repentance III other
words. brought them Into the course of
life which the preachmg
required
If
Jesus had merely sard that they repented
'&1l CU1l8tqnence
of Jonah's
preachmg.
he
would have stopped short WIth the IDLernal change which they underwent , but
he chooses to go further, and indicate the
term mus of their repentance.
that
It
brought them into the condrnon which
the preach Ill!, demanded
The rendermg,

~~~l!J'ee~~tf~fi';;:u';I~~;~,!l~t
b~rd~&C~~!
ll

to translate the passage anv more accurately without adopung IUl awkward ClJ'"
cnmiocutlon.

114

~[ATTHE\v.

\Vhen the unclean spir it IS

gone out of a man, he walket h
through <lr)" places, seeking rest,
and tindeth none.
Then he
saith,
I will return
into my
house from whence I came out;
I'jJ~
wheu he is come, he findeth
.~ <:rupty, swept, and garnished.
Then goeth he, and taketh
with himself seven other spirits
wore wicked than himself, and
Parable of the Unclean Spirit,
43-45. (Luke xi. 24-~8.)

43.

is gone
out of a man.This remark
iurplies that unclean
~I'ilits souretirues
went out of men
volu ntar ilv
When
they did 80.
they wandered through "dry places,"
that is, throll)!;h places such us war
terlcss
d e-ser ts are to Iiviuz men
seeking
rest, and findinu no~e.
moro graphic
description
of ntter
wretchedness
it would be difficult
to imuzine
'
4-1. int~ my house.-The
house
is the man's body which
he had
left; and it is called a house
be

[xii. 43-47.

they enter in and dwell there:

anJ the last state of that mall is
worse than the first.
Even 8(1
shall it be also unto this wick-ed
generation.
While he yet tal ked to the
people, behold, his mother and
his brethren
stood without, desiring to speak with hiru. "Then
one said unto him, Behold, thy
mother and thy Lrethren stand
and we will save ourselves
much
useless labor if we content ourselves
with this.
It is exprfssed
in these
words:
"The last state of that man
is worse than the first:
even so
shall it be with this wicked ~en .ration,"
that is. the lust -tate IIf this
generation
will be wo.r~e than the
~r~t.
Th.e refer~nce
I.S to the conI tltluully
IllCrCaslIlj! wickedness
of
I the Jews, which rl1l111i~ated in the
dread~ul
scenes
prec .dlll~ the destruction
of Jerusnlem.
They were
now like a man with one evil spirit;
th.ey ,,:ere then to be like a man
With eight, and each of the seven
worse than the one.

cnuse it afforded the evil spirit some Interference

flf His Jf"ther and
reli .f from the wretchedness
of his
Brothers, 45~')O. ()hrk iii. 21,
w:lllderin~s.
That. the house was
~ 1-35; I .u k e V]]
.'. J. I 9 -~ I).
,)
fIDty. swept, an d garOl~hed, means
that the man's body was well pre46. and his brethren.
- The
pared for the demons
return.
fact that these p .rsons called his
45. more
wicked.
- That
the brothers
came with
~tary,
estabseven other spirits were more wicked
li~hcs a strong
presumption
that
than the first, is proof that some I they were suns of ~Iary, and literdemons
are worse
than
others; i ally brothers
(If .lesus.
(See also
that, he went and ~ut them. is proof I the parallel in Mark.)
th it evil spir-its have eommu nica- I
47.
desiring
to speak
with
ti,,"s among themselves;
and that, thee.To send a messaze
to him
the man W!l.8 then worse than at I in the house (xiii. I) while he was
flr-t, shows
that tho ~reat('r
the speaking
to the people, was an innnrnher and the wickedness
of the I terruption
: and the message
itself,
demons within a man, tho worse his that they desired to speak with him,
coud itjon.
was an Interference.
It was a .sumEven
80 shall it be.-I
n tho in;/; that the business
which th .y
applicati'lll
of th is parable.
only had for him was more nrc:('nt than
eno point of ,"mpari8on
is made,
his business
with the people. ,urd

"

~
i

xii, -18-.')0. ]

~1.-\TrHE\v.

without, desiring to speuk with

thee.
But he answered and
said unto him that told hilll,:
Who is my mother 1 and who
are my brethre.- f
And he
stretched forth his ~and toward
_______________

lib

his disciples, and said, Behuld

my mother and lIly brethreu l
soFor \\ hosoever shall do the
will of my Father which is in
heaven, the same is my brother,
and sister, and mother.

dlut. the lutter should !!;ive way to the lowing facts containin:r
proof of the
former.
A mort' definite statement
claim"
of Jesu~ are Lrou"ht
into
of thl'i~ .J1U1f'0~e is /!:i\'en lIy ~ark. ; promi/; nce. .
rs
(~I,.rk Ill. :!I. "I)
1. I'hat his conduct
W:l.II above
48. Who is my mother l-The
I reproach.
His enemies
were so
&On(' of hi. unswer showed plainly'
watchful
that his disciples
could
to the audience that he would ILIl0w not pluck a few heads of I!rain 1L8
1\0 interference
with his work on' they passed through
the fields on
tht' score of earthlv
relutionship:
I the
Sabbath without
thcir notice,
and it ~hows plainly to us that the: and 110 cnprious thnt he could not
IlIpro""d
subserviency
of Jesus to' heal an uftlict d man on the Sabbuth
his mother, which is the ground of I without
incurrinz
their
censure.
the worship
of ~Iary, i8 most em- Their
watchfulness
in these small
phatically
repudiated
by Jesus him- matters
proves how certainly
th,'y
lelf.
To all who now call 011 the would have detected in him uny
"~lothcr
of God," as ~Iary is blns- real fault; and that thev did not do
pht'mnusly
styled, Je8U~ answers, 11.8 80, is proof that no real fault was
be did to the Jews, "ho
is my, discernible
in his conduct.
mother?
2. His meekness in retir imr from
49,50. the same is my brother. the presence of angry contention
-It iA here taught with emphasis'
(14-21), WII.8 just such as we would
that Jesus holds all who do the will expect to find in the Hun of God,
of liod as his 'brothers,
sisters,'
and it was the fulfillment of pred iomother;
that is, 8.S ~uRtaining a 1'1'- tions concerning
him uttered
h unIation to him as intimate
as that dreds of year" her..re his coming.
lu~tained
by these relatives.
This
3. In reI,ly to the charge that he
stutement
not only shows the ex- cast out demons hy the power of
trr-uie absurdity
of the worship
of ~atan. it is proved bpyond contr
~Inry, but it teachoa us that our versv that hi" miracles were wrought
duty to the Church
is never to he by tllP power 01 the ~pirit of (;od;
Macrific d to the euprices, prejudices,
that God, therefore,
WII.8 with
him;
or preferences
of our earthly rela- lind that, consequently,
all that he
lives.
I claimed
for himself was true.
: 4. The above evidences
are con! firmed by the manner in wh ich, as
AUGliMKNT
OF MKCTION
9.
, doscribed in the lust paTagm ph, he
In the pret't'din/! sPt,ti()o the hill- arose uhove all the nurruwer
and
tori all reports
the d isputution
he- cramping
influences
of family tie8,
tween Jesus and th (,hariAP('" in ann aaserted
the hilZhl>r .la ims of
refel"enee to the two ehar)!c~ that religious
frat .r nitv
A fu ilure in
he had violated the Hahl.mth, and this respect would hnve arllued huthat he had cast out demons bv the man weak nesa . that he did nor fail.
prince
of the demons.
In" the I is an argument
for his divine pereourse uf the disputations
the fol- I fection.

116

MATTHEW.

XIII. 1 The same day went

Je'sus out of the house, and sat
by the sea side.
' And great
multitudes
were gathered
together uuto him, so that he went
into a ship, and sat;
and the
whole multitude
stood on the
shore.
And he spake mallY
things unto them in parables,
saying, Behold,
a sower went
forth to sow;
and when he
sowed, some seeds fell by the
way-side,
and the fowls came

[xiii.

1-8.

I and devoured

them up: I some

fell upon stony places,
where
they had not much earth:
and
forthwith
they sprung up, because they had no deepness of
earth:
a and when, the 811n was
up, they were scorched;
and
because they had no root, they
withered away. T And some fell
muong thorus ; and the thorns
sprung up, and choked them:
but other fell iuto good ground,
and brought forth fruit, some an

from other allegories in that they

are taken from actual occurrences,
while most others are taken from
imaginary occurrences.
Every parParable of the Sower. 1-9; Why He
bl
t .
'11
.
Rpoke In Parables. 1(}-17; Parable of a e con ams an I ustratmg examthe Sower Explalued,Y.-2.3; Parable ple, and indicates certain points of
of the Tares, 24-30; Parable of the resemblance
between it aud the
Mu_tard Heed, 31,32; Parable of the I bi t hi I . 'I}
'1'1
Leavell, 33: Speaking in Parables a SU ~ec w ic I It I ustrutes.
ie
F'u l tf ll merrt of Prophecy, 34, 35; interpretation
of a parable eon~i,ts
Parable of the Tares Ex platuedv l ;
ti
th
I' t '11
86-43; Parable of the HId Treasure, In POIn mg out
: su 'J.ec I III!H; Parable of the Precious Pearl, 45, trated and the POInts of ana]"i!:Y
~~r:hl~~~~J:rs\~~t~L~:-W;
The intended by t~lC au~hor. The'c are
,
to be ascertained from the context,
M k and from the terms of the parable
Parable of the Sower, 1-9. ( ar
itself. In interpreting the parables
iv. 1-9; Luke viii. 1-8.)
of Jesus two fundamental rilles
I, 2. sat by the sea.-The
sit- must be observed: first, when .lesus
ting posture which .lesus habitually himself gives an interpretation,
it
nssurned in his public addresses, must be accepted as filial and exrendered it impossible for him to i haustive ; second, only those points
be seen or heard at a great distance, of analogy which were certainly
when the people thronged him.: in the mind of the author should
On this occasion, as the crowd be- i have a place in the interpretation.
came great, he moved from his seat The chief error to be I!uard(d
on the shore to a more conspicuous against is a violation of the latte .
place on the prow of the fishing I rule; and in order to successfully
boat, where the people could not I guard against it, one must huve II.
press very closely to him. and I well balanced judgment and an RCwhence he could be seen and heard curate knowledge of the subjects
by all 1\.8 they stood or sat on the which the parables illustrate.
Xo
sloping shore.
rules can be given which will ena3. in parables,-A
parable is a ble It. person who is deficient in
species of allegory.
An allegory is either of these two qualifications,
II. discourse
in which an object is to become II. successful interpreter
described by describing
another of these wonderful discourses.
which resembles it, or which is
3-9. a sower went forth.-As
analogous to it.
Parables differ' Jesus himself gives an interprete8ECTIOX X
A 8KRIBSOF PARABLES,XIII. 1-52.

'I

II

MATTHEW.

xiii. 9-12.]

hundredfold,
some sixtyfold,
some thirtyfold.
I Who
hath
ears [to hear], let him hear.
IOAndthe disciples came, and
said unto him, 'Vhy speakest
thou unto them in parables?
9 ci .; Ru.
Green, Alford.

Omitted

117

He answered and said unto

them, Because it is given unto
you to know the mysteries of
the kingdom of heaven, but to
them it is not given.
II For
whosoever hath, to him shall be
given, and he shall have more
abundance: but whosoever hath
11

by Tisch., T. S.

tion of the parable of the sower wh'y he 80 ordered. By the mys(18-23). we attempt none of our terres of the kingdom of heaven, are
own. 'Ve note here only the fidel- not meant things incomprehensible;
ity to nature which is maintained for, in that case, the disciples could
throughout.
Every person ac- not know them; but the vet unrequainted with farming operations vealed truths of the kingdo~n, which
must IJe struck with the faithfulness were mysteries only because they
of the_picture.
were as yet unrevealed.
9. Who hath ears to hear.12. whosoever
hath. - ThiM
This warning, habiruul with Jesus verse contains the reason why it
when he desired to direct especial was given to the disciples to k'now
attention to a sper-ch or a remark, the mysteries of the kingdom. and
was necessary to prevent the people not given to the unbelievers. It is
from regarding the pnrable as a law of God's moral government,
merely a beautiful and 1ife-like de- often repeated by the Savior, that
scription.
It warns them of a to him who has, more shall be given,
meaning beneath the surface, and and from him who has not, even
hidden as yet from their view.
that he has shall be taken away.
lin
rr S
k . P
bl
10--17 In order to understand this singu lar
rr "y He pO'e 111 ara es,
. I
I
b
(Mark iv. 10-13' Luke viii. 9 10.) phra8~0 ogy, .wc .must 0 sene that
the thing wh ich IS taken away from
10. Why speakest thou. . . him who has not, is necessarily
in parables ~-The question of the aomething that he has. IIe has,
disciples shows that this method of and at the same time he has not.
teaching had not been employed hy Now the unbelieving Jl'WS had, in
Jesus before, and the question was common with the believers, the
extorted by the obvious filCt that heavenly privilege of hearing ,)"'SU8
the people could not understand the and seeing his miracles; but, unlike
parables. It is not likely that the she believers, they had not the faith
question is inserted by Matthew in and the knowledge which they
its chrnnolo!!ical :-lllce, hut that it should have derived from these opwas propounded after this entire portunities.
These opportunities
series of parables had been spoken. were now to be taken from them by
11. it is given unto you.~Je~us. a kind of teaching which they could
proceeds to give aoverul reasons for I not understand, and which would
speuking in parahles, the first of not be explained to them. But to
which is that It was !!i\"t~nto the dis- the disciples, who had some profit
ciples, but not to the unbelievers, to from previous opportunities, more
know the m,Ysteriesof the kingdom instruction was to be given hy
of God. ThIS is merely an assertion means of the parables. In gl'lIpral
of the fact that it was 80 ordered terms, the law is, that to those who
by God, without assigning a reason have made improvement hy their

'I

II

1\8

MATTHEW.

[x iii. 1:l-15

'lot, from him shall be taken I understand; and seeing ye shall

away even that he ha~h. "There- see, and shall nut perceive:
fore speak I to them In parables:
for this pellpl "" heal t i- waxed
because they fleeing see not; and gross, and their ears are dull of
hearing they hear not, neither I hearing, all11 their en's they
do the,}' und:r~tand.
l'And in have clos.l : lest at ;IIlY time
them IS fulfilled the prophecy i they should see with their eves
of Esa'ias, which saith, By hear- I and hear II it h th.ir ears, ~lIJ
ing ye shall hear, and shall not should unclerst.md
II it h
their

I"

opportunities, other opportunities. especially 80 with reference to the

will be given: but from hun who has expected kingdom of the ~le8siah.
made no improvement, the orpor- This state of heart made their ears
tu nities themselves will be taken' dull of hearing; that is, it made
away. (For further illustration of them indisposed to hear with favor
thi- law. see the note on xxv. :!\I.)' the words of .Ie-us, It lvd them
13. Therefore speak I ...
in I also to close their eyes; that is, to
parabl.es.- Till' il lutive therefore refuse to see the evidences of his
(~,a '1"0,,'1"0, 011 thi . flCCullnt) refers messinhahip and his divinity
Tb is
not to the preced ing, out to the closing of their yes is treated (15)
statement wh ieh follows. Another as the fatal act; for be proceeds to
reason for 8peaking: in parables i~, say, .. their eyes they have closed.
j!:iven: becuuse, when the people i lest at any time they should see
8SW they Raw not, and when they
with their eyes, and hear with their
beard they heard not; that is, I eurs, and should und.-ratund with
though they saw the miracles, th('y their heart, and should turn, and I
!law them not in their true li)!;ht,, should heal them." The evil state
and when they heard his words, I of the heart might have been overthey heard them not in their true I come, had it not been for closing
meaning. TId" W,l" a good reason I their eyes. Their continuance in
for "peaking: to them in pnrablos : I sin and unbelief, therefore, was the
for it showed that it was immaterial result of having voluntarily closed
whether he spoke int,'llig:ibly or I th(>ir eyes agsinst the light which
unintelligibly: and it left hira free! had come into the world, causing
to speak as best suited the wants I parablt's and dark sayings to be Il8
of his disciples alone. It m:~y be Intelligible to them as the simpleet
observed, also, that he spoke more lessona which Jesus taught; their
for future readers than for present ears were equally closed again.t
hearers.
both.
14, 15. in them is fultUled.15. be converted.-This
renderIn these verses .Je~1I8 /.:ives the ing iR incorrect. The original word
fourth and final reuson for spt'aking (i1'l'~'I"f''''''''~'~)
is in the active voice,
to the people in parables. and at' and means turn,
The ronde ring
the same time he points out the
be converted." was tirst emplnyf'd
cause of those facts on which the in F.n~liRh by \Vickliffp, wh fillprecedinz reasons were bnsed.
lowed the Latin Vul"ate from which
Isaiah had written concerning h is hi. tru nalation WI\!! made. 1\-nd,L1
own gl.'neratinn (I "1\. vi. \I. 10), this, and th Geneva translators - bth
people's heurt had" waxed "ross;" I rl'j(>cted it. u"inl!; tUTII; but King
that is. it has hc~nmp filled with I .l.unes's tranalutors restored the
earthly and !!ell~l\al desirea. and rendering of Wicklift"e, being led

I
I

A.:

':

xiii, lti-:W.]

MATTHEW.

heart, and should he converted,

and [ should heal them. II But
blessed are your eye,:, for they
see : and your ears, for they
hear. "For verily I say unto
you, That many prophets and
righteous men have desired to
lee those things which ye see,
and have nut seen them; and to
hear those things which ye hear,
alltl have not heard them.
thereto, no doubt. by their concep-i
bon of conversion as a change in
which the sinner is perfectly PMsive Only in one passage.Mutt. xviii.
3, is the passive rendering correct.
16, 17. blessed are your eyes.
-1I('re we have a cheering contrast
l.
tween the spiritual condition of
the disciples, and that of the unbelieving multitude.
They were seeing with profit, and hearing with
deli rht, not only that which the
multitude
would neither see nor
hear, but thini!8 which the prophets
and rizhteous men of many generations had desired to see and had
Dot seen. The diaciples, doululesa,
failed to realize the full measure of
their ble8s('dneNR, so little do the
m-n of any gt'neration know their
own privileges.
Parable at" the Sower Erplained,

18-23. (\lark iv. 14-20; Luke

..
Vlll.

11-15)

1H, 19, by the way-side,-The

disciples are ""W tauuht the meaning of the par.ihle of thl' ""wt'r-to
them more is I!i'en. They learn
that the di/f.'rl'nt placeR in which
the seed fell represent different
e1Mses of persons who hear the
"word of the kingdom." The peculiar itv of him who is represented]
b'y the way-side consiats in thetwo
CIrcumstances, that he does not understand the word, and that the
wicked one catches away that which
_
.oWIl in hill heart.
The word

119

,. Hear ye therefore the pa.rahie of the sower. '8 'When any

one heareth the word of the
kingdom, and understandeth it
not, then cometh the wicked
one, and catcheth away that
which was sown in his heart.
This is he which received seed
by the wayside. 10 But he that
received the seed into stony
places, the same is he that hearreaches his heart, which fact im
plies some favorable impreseioue on
him; but his not understanding it,
implies a want of proper attention
to it. Failin/!: of proper attention,
he allows the devil, by taking it
awav, to deprive him of the little
good which he had received, and of
It II that
he mifht have received in
the future.
(Comp, Luke viii. 12.)
Satan catch ell the word away by
means of all those worldly allurements through which men are led
to be inatt~ntive to the word of
God. The class (If person~ represented are tliose whose idpaN of
Scripture teaching are too crude for
an intt'l!i!-!:ellt faith, or who allow
~ood impression made by the word
to speedily ~aRs away.
20, 21. into stony places.The fault of the stony zround
hearer eonsiats in allowing trouble
.
f h
or persecution
on ILCC(lUnt0 t e
word to make him stumble und fall
awav from tho word which he had
previously received with joy.
In
the statement, "he hath not root in
himself," there is a metaphor drawn
from the shallow roots of the I!rain
which grow8 on stony I!round, and
it means that he is deficient in
tenacity of purpoRe.
~ometime8
very "li~lit oppositiun from friends
lor relatives turns a perRon hack into
partial or total apostasy. The c1'L811
represented
are those who are
turned hack by opposition, whether
slight or severe.

120

MArrHEW.

eth the word, and anon with joy

receiveth it; Uyet hath he not root
in himself, but dureth for awhile:
fur when tribulation or persecution ariseth becanse of the word,
by and by he is offended. It He
also that received seed among
the thorns is he that heareth the
word; and the care of this
world, and the deceitfulness of
riches, choke the word, and he

[xiii, 21-24.

becometh unfruitful.
But he
that received seed into the good
ground is he that heareth the
word, and understandeth
it;
which also beareth fruit, and
bringeth forth, some an hundredfold,
some sixty,
some
thirty .
Another
parable put he
forth unto them, saying, The
kingdom of heaven is likened

21. offended.-The
term here ground differs from the wa1.side
rendered i uffended (axav~a"'~{f1'a,) i man in that he "understands'
the
means, is made to stumble.
There word, and does not allow Satan to
is nothing in tribulations and perse- take it from him. His understandcutions to make one feel offended
ing it is the result, not of some natat the word; but there is, to cause ural superiority, but of the superior
him to stumble, as when his foot is attention which he gives to it. He
caught in a snare. (See the note differs from the stony ground charan v. 29, 30.)
acter, in that, though assailed by
22. among the thorns.-Those
tribulation and persecution because
represented by the thorny ground, of the word, and often more \ iodo not, like the first class, allow lentIy assailed than his vacillating
Satan to catch away the word, nor neighbor, he overcomes them indo they, like the second, allow per stead of allowing them to overcome
secutious to cause them to stumble; him. He differs from the thorny
but, while retaining the word, they ground character, in that he endures
allow care about worldly matters, the cares of life so patiently, und
and the deceitfulness of riches resiats the deceitful influences of
that is, the deception which love of riches so successfully, that the word
riches causes men to practice on of God in him triumphs over both,
themselves - or both these com- Finally, he differs from all, in that
bined, to render the word unfruitful. he alone" beareth fruit," i:'<oweof
Men who are engal!ed in the enl!er I this class hear more fruit than
pursuit of wealth, as well as those others," some a hundredfold, Borne
already in pos-esaiou of it, are in sixty, and some thirty;"
hut the
danger from the deceitfulnesa of ! characteristic of the class is that
riches; while those engaged in a they bear fruit, The fruit is the
hard struggle for a mere livelihood, : course of life which the word reor in buffeting the waves of misfort- , quires; therefore, dropping the figune, are most in danger from the ure, the fourth class continue to
care of this world. The great rna- I obey the word of God, while the
jority of the disciples of every age' others either never begin, or. beginand country have been more or less ning, sooner or later discontinue
chargeable with the sin of this their obedience. The parable is a
class. We need constant and ear- prediction of the manner in whir-b
nest exhortations on the subjectfrom the word of God would be dealt
our religious teachers.
with by those who would hear it;
23. into the good ground.and it warns us against the examThe man represented by the good' ples of the first three characters,

xiii. 25-33.]

MATTHEW.

unto a man which sowed good

seed in his field: ~ but while
men slept, his enemy came and
sowed tares among the wheat,
and went his way. IS But when
the blade was sprung up, and
brought furth fruit, then appeared the tares also. ., So the
servants of the- householder
came and said unto him, Sir,
didst not thou sow good seed in
thy field? from whence then
hath it tares? so He said unto
them, An enemy hath done this.
IThe servants: and tlLe!J I said
unto him, Wilt thou then that
we go and gather them up?
But he said, Nay; lest while
ye gather up the tares, ye root
28 &0 .1.0. Ree.
Green, Alford.

Omitted

by T1!ch . T. S.

121

up also the wheat with them.

Let both grow together until
the harvest: and in the time of
harvest I will say to the reapers,
Gather ye together first the
tares, and bind them ill bundles
to burn them: but gather the
wheat into my barn.
11Another parable put he forth
unto them, saying, The kingdom
of heaven is like to a grain of
mustard seed, which a man took,
and sowed in his field: "which
indeed is the least of all seeds:
but when it is grown, it is the
greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds
of the air come and lodge in the
branches thereof.
Another parable spake he
unto them:
The kingdom of
so

while it stimulates us to imitate the - The mustard seed is not the

fourth.
smallest known seed, but it was the
smallest usually sown in Jewish
Parable "f the Tares, 24-30.
fields In the same limited senso,
25. sowed tares.-It
hus been the mustard plant was the" greatest
doubted by some whether such un among herbs" (32); that is, till'
act of enmity as "owing 1\ neigh- greatest herh grown bv tho Jews
bor's field with tare. was Her perkingdom".
is fike.-.A~ the
petrated : and consequently it has emphasis, in this parable, is placed
been suppoavd that this parable, on the smallness of the seed and
unlike the others, is drawn from the greatness of its subsequent
imaginary incidents. But Trench, I!rowth, we must take these as the
in his work on tho parables, ad- points of significance and rosemduces one instance in India. and blance. ThA kingdom of heaven,
one in Ireland; and Alford, in his like the seed, was very small in ita
Commentary, mentions one that beginning on the day of Pentecost,
occurred in s lipid of his own in but afterward it became a very
England. It i" likelv that the prac- great kingdom.
The parable 18
tice was somewhat common in the prophetic, and is still in process of
davs of Christ. The word tare is! fulfillment.
now obsolete, having been sUp' I
Parable of the Leaven, 33.
planted hy darnel. (For the expia_
.
nation of this parable, see below,
33. till the whole 18 leavened.
36-43.)
-It is a property of leaven that it
quietly but certainly diffuses itself
Pa-able of th M,lutard Seed, 31, through the mas" in which it is
32. (Mark IV. 30-32.)
place~l.. The kingdom of heaven
31, 32. least of all the seeds. ~ like it, in that it spreads itself in

11

[xiii. 34-311.

MArrHEW.

heuveu i" like unto leaven, which I II Then [Je'"us} sent the multook. and hid iu three' titude away, and went into the
measures of' meal, till the whole I house: awl his disciples came
wail leavened.
unto him, ~aying-, Declare unto
"All these things spake .Ie'sus ]us the parahle of the tares of
unto the multitude in parables; I the field. IT He answered and
and without a parable spake he: said uuto them], He that sownot unto them: 16 that it might eth t11e good seed i~ the Son of
be fulfilled which was spoken hy man; thc field is the world;
the prophet, saying, I will open i the good seed are the children
my mouth in parables; I will of the kingdom; but the tares
utter things which have been are the children of the wicked
kept secret from the foundation one; au the enemy that sowed
[of the worlcl].
a woman

II

86 ;, 'J""o;;. &c.
Omitted
by Lach
:I.~TO;; ,o"I'OV Ree.
Omitted by Lach . Ti!O<'h., T. 8. Green. Alford, Tregelles.
Ttseh . T. B. Green, Alford. Tregelles, B, 1,
3i .VTO', Rec. Omitt d hy L&ch., TIsch.
22. e, k, N. Syri8.C. Origen.
T. B Green, Alford. Tregel res,

like manner through human society.

parable
is also rroph('tic.
and
its fulfillment
is constantly
~(ling
on.
The reason why three mensures of meal are supposed.
ruther
than anv other number,
is doubtless because
this was the quantity
that the women usually
made up
(or one baking;
and the reason
why a woman rather than a man is
mentioned,
is because
it was the
businesa of women to make bread

This

Speaking in Parables a Fulfillment of Prophecy, 34, 35. (Mark

iv. 33, 34.)

he

34. without a parable spake

not.-This
remark
has reference only to that particular
occasion.
Both before and 'lfter this he
taught much without
purahles
35. that it might be fulfilled.
--.Jesu~
is the finly I!r!'at teacher
known
to history
who iR distinguisbed in a hi!.(h'dl'gr!'l'
hy the UAe
of parables.
and his ~kilJ in their
use has never heen approach tl hy
any other peTllon.
He fill. up the
measure
of the prediction
here
quoted
from Psalm
lxxviii.
2; it
hu not been filled hv another;
and
therefore
Matthew'i
application
of

it is manifestly
correct.
further add that .1(,Bu8 can
chosen to speak in parables
to make a fal~f' appearance
filling the pred iction ; for
in Much parables is beyond
aided powers of any

ma.n.

We may
not have
in order
of fulto speak
the un-

Parable of the Tares Explained,

36-4a.

36. Declare unto us.-Thi" parable and that of the sower are the
only two that J"sus explained
tn his
disciples. the others being so Hiwple
ItS not to be eaailv
misunderstood
:
yet. I\tran~e to lIay, these two, notwithstanding
his explanations,
are
more frequently misconstrued
than
any others of the Hf'rieH
37-39.

He that

soweth.e--In

these verses the individual

correspondences
between
the
hie
and the kingdom are stated.
The
field in which the APl'ds were 1l0Wll
represents
the world of mankind i
the man who sowed I{(}(xi seeds rep'
reserus
.JeAu8;
the
ent'my
whc
""w,.d tares, the d"vil.
the good
seed. Christinna : the tares, wicked
persona:
thr- hurvnst, the end of
this world.
thp reapers. the o.ngt'ls
These explanations
are preliminlLl1

lara

xiii. 40--l:~.J

MATTHEW.

123

them is the devil; the harvest I send forth his angels, and they
is tIH' end of the world; and the: shall gather out of his kingdom
reapt"rs are the angels.
As I all
things
that otlend , and
therefore the tares are gathered them which do iuiquity : and
and burned in the fire; so shall ~shall east them into u furnace
it be in the end of I this: tJu'l 'of fire: there shall be II ailing
world. <I The Son of man shall and gnashing of teeth. Then
shall the righteous shine forth
40
&C. Omitted by L&ch . Tisch.,
h
.
J ki I
f
T. 8. Green, Tregelles,
as t e SUll III t ie 'lllg< om 0
TOUTOU

to the chief lesson of the parable;

I term
is here used in its wider or
thev do not teach it.
'in itH narrower
sense.
That the
40-43. As therefore.-Here
is former is the sense herf'. w e think.
introduced
a formal
comparison
is clear from two consideration,
s,
which present.
the chief If'SMm of first. the field ill which the .,cus.
the parahle : .A . therefore the t:l.TPS l.oth I!0od and Lad. w re ~own. and
are ,,'lItht'red lind burned
in the the kingdom out of w hir-h hoth w re
fire; so shall it LI' in the e nd of the /!athered.
ure evidently
th . sarue ,
world."
This hein/l: the intended
hut the field i~ the world. and
point of comparison.
he pro(Jet'd~ to I therefore
the kingdom is the wor-ld
ptaU>. in unfigurative
language, how Second
while the good 8"1'0 repre
it will hI' in the end of the world: I sent the" children of tho kingdom,'
. The Hon of man shall SPJ1(i forth
that is. tho~(' who accert
and ,u t,
his angels. and they 8hall !!ather out mit to the rl'i~n of ChTlst ovt-r the
of his
kingdom
all things
that world. and all of these
the t:lI'C8
ofi't'nd. and them which do iniquity.
represent
all of the chi ldrr-n of th
and shul! CAAt them into Il furnace
wicked one within the field, that is.
of fire."
III brief. the final st'para.- r all th wicked
in the world
I f it
rion of the wicked from the ri)!ht-! be objected to this. that the .npm}
eOUR. and the destruction
of the sowed after th /!:ood seed had hl'ell
hItter in fire, is the hurden
of the: sown. and
therefore
the wicked
pllrahle.
Whether
reference
is' repreH('ntf'd
bv the tares must he
made to all the wicked in the world. ,the wivked who ~I'ran)! up among
or "Illy to those in the Church,
has the disciples after tilt' kin!!d"m was
been II matter of dispute.
Tn favor 1'8tabli8h"d'
we UII8w.r. that th is
of the lutt r supposition
is till' fact I point of comparison
i~ not found
thnr the wicked are to hI' gathered
III the
Sador 8 interpretation,
and
hy the angel"" out of hi" kinzdom."
r this
is suffieient
I'r or that it was
the term kingdom
beinz
usually
not ill his mind
limited
to the Chun-h
But inas- i
The most common intr rpretur ion
mu.-h lUI all authority
in It.a H'TI of this purahle lIIak,'~ its ,lIi .f ~ig'
and on earth"
is I!i\-pn to Christ Illifi'!.'l1H" d"pel.<i oil tlu- I'rohil,itl"u
(xx"iii
Hi). h is kingdom in rl'ality I against pull",)! up the tal'''" I"Ht the
includes the whole earth and in at I wlt"at
should
I,e ruotcd
"l' with
)1'1I"t one of th . pnruhl . that of them anti 811I'PO"<'8it to t"""h " l.~
thl' pOlln,l. (Luke xi,
II l.~ :.!7). soil of .autrou in ('hurt1t di~l'il'ltlle
thl' term iH used to iru-lu.le ],otll his H"mp und.-rstand
th!' parahl..
ILl'
willin)!
subjects.
and
tho~e who pr"hihiti,,~
,,11 exclusions
from th .
"will
not have this man to rule' Church.
and others, with less conoV!'r them"
We ure to know, Isi"tencJ'
understand
it to prohibi&hen. to thl' oontext, whether
the I exclusions
only in doubtful
casee.

124

MATTHEW.

[xiii. 44.

their Father.
'Vho hath ears heaven is like unto treasure hid
in a field; the which when a
[to hear], let him hear.
[Again,] the kingdom of man hath found, he hideth, and
t3 . 0';". Rec. Omitted by TlBCh., T. S. for joy thereof goeth and selleth
Green. Alford.
all that he hath, and buyeth
44 ."ALV Ree. Omitted by Ttsch., T. 8.
that field.
Green, Alford, 'I'regelles.
the exclusion
of one would
lead to the exclusion of others who
arc more worthy, hut who Bymr.athize with the guilty party.
'I he
latter view is condemned
by the
very promises on which it is based :
for it was not until the tares were
unmistakably
known 8S such, that
the question
ahout plucking
them
up was raised.
If the exclusion of
any from the Church
is prohibited,
it must he those who are known to
Le children of the wicked one, and
the eonclusion
comes into direct
conflict with the teaching both of
Jesus and the apostles on the subject of withdrawin~
from the disorderlv.
(See xviii, 17; 1 Cor. v.
5, 11, '13; 2 Thess. iii. 6.) There
arc also two other insuperable objootions to both of the views above
stated.
In the first place, Jesus
makes the servants of the householder, who made the proposition
to pull up the tares, and who were
the reapers of the harvest, represent, not the officers of the Church,
but the angels of God - " the reapers are the angels."
(39, 41.) In
the second place, this interpretation
ignores the fundamental
rule, that
when Jesus himself
expounds
a
parable, his exposition
must be accepted without modification.
Now,
in his exposition
he passes by this
prohibition
and gives it no part
whatever in the sij!;nificance of the
parable.
It is true, that f!athering
out the tares at the end of the
world implies that they will be allowed to grow until that time, but
it implies nothing
at all as to
whether
such of them as can he
shall be excluded from the Church.
43, shine forth as the sun,8S

In this verse, and the last elauae of

the preceding verse, .lesus present.
Borne additional
thoughts not foreshadowed
in the parahle--that
in
the furnace of fire there shall be
wailing and gnashinj!; of teeth, and
that the right{'ous shall shine forth
as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father.
On the significance
of
wailing and gnashing of teeth, see
note on viii. 12. Sh ini ng forth lUI
the sun, is expreKllive of th glory
which shall attach to the sainta in
their resurrection
bodies.
Who hath ears,- A note of
warning
to arrest the attention of
the wicked, and to cheer the hearts
of the saints.

Pm'able of the Hid Trensure, 44.

44, hid in a field.-In the nbsonce of the iron safe!\ and vuults
of modern times, the ancients frequently buried artie II,. uf value in
the ~r()und.
The case supposed is
one III which, by thc death of the
original
owner of the field und the
treasure, all knowledge of the treasure had perished;
otherwise
the
present
owner would nut .ell the
field without an equivalent for tl.'!
treasure.
he hideth.-The
man must figain
hide the treasure, after lill<iing it,
lest some one else should discover
it, or lest its existence should become 'known to the owner of the
field before the purchase.
like unto treasure,-The
kingdom is not like the treasure in being
hid, for although its provisions are
unknown to many, they have alway!
been known
to some,
But the
man's joy at discovr-r ing the treasure, and the eagerness with wh ich

xiii. 45-51. J

MArrHEW.

<6 Again,
the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a merchant
man, seeking goodly pearls:
who, when he had found one
pearl of great price, we-nt and
sold all that he had, and bought
it.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was
cast into the sea, and gathered
of every kind: <8 which, when
it W3.8 full, they_ drew to shore,
and sat down, and gathered the

he sold his other

poasessions
in,
order tu obtain the treasure, are the!
points of sil!nifil'ance.
Similar joy
18 expor ienccd
by ev<'ry one who
discovers
the hlesscdness
of the
kingdom.
und all such make every'
sacrifice
n('ccsHary to gain posscs
ion of its privileges.

121)

1 good into vessels, but

cast the
i bad away. 09 So shall it be at
I the end of the world: the angels
I shall come forth, and sever the
I wicked
from among the just,
1>0 and
shall cast them iuto the
furnace of fire: there shall be
wailing and gnashing of teeth.
61 [Jc'sus
saith unto them,]
Have ye understood all these

1i1 My" <16TO'. ;, I~uoU. Ru.

Omitted
by Lach., Tisch . T. s, Green. Alford. Tregelles.

tares. it is taught that at the end of

the world the angels shall sever the
i wicked from among the just, and
1 shall
cast them into the furnace of
i fire (49, 50); but now it is only the
wicked in the Church,
The kirur
dom is like the net, in that it gatg .
ers both good and bad into it, and
I in
that there will eventually
\,e a
Parable
".I the Precious Pearl, I' separation of the two classes.
45. 46.
, 50. the furnace
of fire.-The
45. like unto
a merchant.I furnace
of fire mentioned here and
Th th
1 t i th i
J I th
h I at the close of the parable
uf the
. e. ouu 1m.
us para) e, . nug. . tares (42), can be no other than the
181 fi
similar
to that III the pr.-cedinz,
I b d
f th
. k d ~or th C
c
distinct from it.' The merchant
is
nat' a 0 fCthO
~ kWld .e t;
't . t
d
ki
dl .cas m~ 0
e WIC emu
I
IS ()
representc
as
Bee :mg
go" . .v take
r,lace "at
the
end of thc
pearls, and as a Iread v in pOg~eS"lOn '
Id'
TJ
t
d
d
Id
of a number. while the man of the wor.
ie erm ren ere wo;
hid t
h d
thi
I' 1 h (a.",~) can not here mean the Jewish
I
:ea"urc.
a no mg W lie I e a e : for no such se arution of the
especially
pr ized before he found
fl. k' d f
th
p. ht
t k
h

TI'
, 1 WIC e
rom
C l'lg eous
00
t e ~rea~~lre.
u-re IS a com~al'l' , place at the end of the .Iewish age
80n JI1 this f:amblc between
things d :I nor h as Iit t a k en pace
I
.
th"
smce
en.
o f grpnt va ue a I rl'al 1v soui; JIt an
I t means th e Christi
hi h
. l
d
'.
h' h
ristran age, W IC
h
o tamp". an
a new pnze
w n:
t
inat
ith ti
it If,
excels them 1111. It teachos
that'
ermma es WI
time I Be .
whatever
n man may have s"ught I The Parables
Understood,
51, 52.

for a~d u\,tai?ed

"efor~ \,ecoming:
acquainted
w~th the kirurdom
"f,
God. whether It be :w~'alth. or fa!llC, i
or a system of ,relIgion, the kml!:' I
dO.m of God will be cheaply
ob- 1
tamed hy the 108s of all.

Parable of the Net, 47-50.

47.
~in.

like
lUI

in

unto
the

a net. - Here:
parable
of the

51. Have ye understood.-By

the help of his explanation
of two
of the parubk-s, the disciples
were
able to answer that they understood
all of them, but while this was true
in a limitr-d sense, thev doubtless
failed to gather the ful) import of
some whose meaning
needed
the
light of experience
in order to be
clearly RI'''''

MATTHEW.

126

[1111.

1>2, 53.

They
say
unto
him, I the kingdom
of heaven
is like
[Lord].
61 Then
said
he I unto
a man that
is an housethem,
Therefore
every i holder,
which hringeth
forth out
which
is instructed unto of his treasure
things new and

thimrs ?
Yea,
unto
scribe

st .vp" nee. Omltte d by Lnch . TIsch..

T " Green; Alford, Tregelles
_______________

I oill.
UA I .
I
III It

came

52. every scribe.-Xot

~\"ery
Iowiah ~rrihe. but ~,('ry di<<,il'l po.
sesxed of the inforrnutiun
lind pow
ers of thou!(ht which would eunl.hhim to rank ,1.>\ the Jewish
8,rihe.
di,)
instructed
unto the kingdom.
-:'I\"r('
<'''rr.<'tly r .nder d loy :'1\ r
(;r"(,11 .."'hoo/ed for the k inudom
or h"a\'l'n" -I',,"s(',st'd
of suvh in-tru-t ion as fit- him for a teacher
in
tho kingdom of heaven
things
new and oId.-TIH'
nllu.i,m i. to the fact thut a i!""d hou~,~
holder,
in entertaining
hi_ ":l\Ps~.
hrin~~ forth from his trvusure of
provi-ions
und drinks, both old arti,lll" lon~ laid away for special
occu-Ions,
and new ones recently
provided.
~o the Christian
scribe
or teacher
brings forth for the instructiou
of his he.irers both the
old lessons with whieh he has lon~
been familiar,
and new OI'PS whi .h
he has but recently acquired
""Idle
teaching
others,
he is hitnself a
learner,
and he is able. out of the
new or the old, to find something
suitable
to every dass of hearers.
ARGt:"MENT

OF l"ECTlON

to

pa:;s

I
l

rat

the future growth of th kinznom

in that of the leaven, th certsinty
that tho principle~
of hi. kinzd- m
would permeate
human ."ClCty; in
that of the hid treasure, the peeuliar joy and prompt
.clf,,"crifice
I with
which men would lay hold on
tlu- 1.le~~ing8 of the kingdom.
in
that of the precious pPllrl, the exalted
estirnnte
which men would
place on the kingdom;
and in that
of the net, the intermingling
"I' l.ud
I men with the goud ill the Church
I until
tbe final day. when thpy will
I be removed
into the furnace of fire.
1 All
of these predictions,
with the
exception
of the two cnnce rn iuz the
lu-t day, have been in \,"""~!lS of
I fulfillment before the C} es f the
world from the apostolic a;!" t" till'
present
time,
and t!oPy prp.cut
therefore,
a continuing
dr-munstra
tion of the divine
roreHight
of
-Iesus,

SEC'J'I0X
PHASES

Xl.

OF OPI~IO~ ('O~CKRXI~(l
XIII. 5J-XV. ~U

JESUS.

10.

of Ihe NllzRrpneR, xIII. :>~,'iH

I 11 thi IS sec.t-Ion. 1e.~.UFI 1Mpr~8entc d I Optnton
Oplilion 0' Her od , XIV. 1-12; .\du}).
Doth as a prophet
;\Ild a ~uhJel't of
ruuon of I h. P""p'''. nud F ..,I1"~
rol)hecY
By 81H'akill~ in paral)lp. I the ~'v". TllOll_lll.d I.!-~'; \\",,'I-.IIII!
."'
.
.
.
011 lhe ~t'a. auo a u h of II .. I -t ...I
e fulfilled a predll'll""
of Dav id I I'le-, 2'.1-3.{; t.u i es III Uenll,..-,II .' a lid
eoncerninz
him (:l4. ,j:"\) and f'"ch
Fa i t h 01 the People,;J.1 'U"
(lppoMI
of. the par:t],!l's. which h(' Kpoke ,"n:
~~:~
t~!~r~~!~hi:':':"~1
tarns a prr-d icrion.
III ti,e purubl '
"'''''', II! ~U.
of the Rower he pred iet,,) th Iuture pffcet~ of preaching
the word I
of Clod, in that of the tares. the
.
f
h
Opinion fJ.f the S'LZarn,n, xiii
fina I 'el'aratlOn
ute
good and
bad. and the destruction
uf all the I
5:{~'>1i.
latter,
in that of tbe mustard 8P,,<1. 1
53. he departed
thence.A.

r.

l~J;

I~':'~:.i:'~~

xiii.

54-58.]

127

MATTHEW.

when Jesua had finished these

parables,
he departed
thence.
"And
when he was come into!
his own country, he taught them
ill
their synagogue,
insom uch
that they were astonished, and
said, Whence hath this man this
wisdoru.und thebe mighty works?
16 h not this the carpenter's
son ?
is nut ~il< mother called Ma'ry ?
awl
his brethren,
James
and

I I -Io'ses : J()'~p]lh I und Si'mon,

I and .Iu'das ? '" And his sisters,
are
they
nut
all with
us?
Whellce then hath this man all
, t !J('~e things?
., And they were
,otlend('d
ill him.
But .Ie'sus
said unto them, A prophet
is
nut without honor, save in his
own country,
and in his own
house.
68 And
he did nut many

I
I

r;.~'Iwcr~< Rer.

IS. Green,

;;1-p-a-r-n-f-ro-m--~-Ia-r-k-,-tl-l-e-d-is-c-il-'-le-s!
proved
took him even Rl< ll<' wus in the
ship. and started '\('1"0'" th lake on
that "oyn!!e durin)! "I,i,I, tho temPC"t W3.:l stilh-d.
('lark
iv :{.J--:3j.)
~Iatthew, with hi" usual di-reuurd
of chronolo)!J', huvi r.!! already d,,scribed thut H,'nt (vui :.!:~-:.!7), now
fullow~ .l esus to ~az,lrl'rh
54. in their
synagogue,-It,
seems from this t'xl're~~ion
that
there was only one ~ynagol!;ue in'
Nazareth, which argues but a small
pl/pulation.
54--57, Whence hath this man.
-By the question, " ""hene" hath'
tlds man this wisdom and these
mighty works," they admitted
his
wi,do~l and his miracles,
but they:
claimed to he at a 108s to aecount
for thcm : and they were offended
(57) ut his pretensions.
Thcy knew
his fath r the eurpenter,
und his.
mother ~Iary; and his brothers and:
sisters tlH'Y knew by name.
They!
had al"" known him from his childhood; 11".1 until recently
he hnd,
exhibited
no such powers.
They'
were filled with """Y that he should
suddenly
be lifu-d "0 high above
themselve and a},O\" his hum hie
origin
Their extreme
furn ilinrltv
with his humanity made thr-ru hlind
to the evidences
f hi. divinity,
while their unwillingness
to udrnit
his divinity
made thorn incapable'
of answer-ing their own question;
and so, from that day to this, the'
words and miracles of .lesus have

'I",u~4>. Lach., Tiscb., T.

Alford. Trege-lles.

an unsolved

mYRtery

to all

who d"nl that he was literally the

' Son of God.
i his brethren
.
his sisters.
-On
the relationsh ip between .leRIIH
nud these persons,
see note,
I :\1"1"k d. 3.
I
57, not without
honor,-That
I whieh prevent.~ a pro!,het tr.uu
bci,,;! honored II.!! such III his OWll
country
lind among his own kindred. is jenluu-y
Ba"1l ns this p!l.8sion is, it is one of the mo-t pre, alent of our passions,
and IS not
, euaily subdued by even the best of
men.
III
Xuzureth
.JeslIl! WlI" no
, more than the son of the carl'l'nt,'r,
and the brother
of certui n "'ry
common
young
men a nd /rids;
, while abroad he was huiled as til!>
prophet of Galilee, mil!hty in word
I and deed. Similar misjudinnent
had been the lut of all or nearly all
the proph"ts
of the (lid Testament
period.
(Comp
Lu k. iv :.!.J--:.!i.)
I
58, not many mighty works.
-~ee
note "" ~Iark vi ,~
In this paragraph ~latthew exhibits a d"l!ree ,,/ candor which is one
of the su rest nuu-k- of (wlle.ty.
lIad it been hiM purl'''"'' to dt'!'ei"e,
he would not have admitr-d
that
.J,,~U" WH.l\ r"j .ct .d and di.h"n"r,d
hy t],t' peol,]" "I", had k nowu him
from his childhood
l l e would
have been atrnid that such ,\I, ad
I mission would throw 8u~l'i.ill" on
his reprc8"ntatilln
of th" l'h:ll'at'ter
of -Iesus.
That he doe. ruuk this
I

128

MATfHEW.

lxiv.1-3.

mighty works there because of

their unbelief.
XlV. I At that time Her'od
the tetrarch heard of the fame
of Je'sus, and said unto his
servants, This is John the Bap-

tist j he is risen from the dead j

and therefore mighty works do
shew forth themselves in him.
I For
Her' od had laid hold on
John, and bound him, and put
him in prison for Hero' dias' sake,

admission, not, indeed, in the form

'Jf an admission, but as a fact which
existed, and for the record of which
he makes no apology, proves that
he had an unvarnished story to tell,
and that he told it as it was. The
facts admitted, moreover, ~hen
rightly conaidered, contain a strong
argument in favor of .Ieaus : for if
the Naznrenes, who had known him
from his childhood, when making
their best efforts to find fault with
him, could bring against him nothing worse than his humble family
connections, this is proof that he
had been guilty of no perceptible
wrong-doing.

manhood and in the midst of 80

brilliant a career, was well calcuIated to startle the imagination, and
the guilty conscience of Herod Wt1.8
ready to second any 8uO'gestions
which might spring from the superstition of the people. His conception was not, as some have MUPposed, that .Iohn's spirit, according
to the doctrine of transmigration
of souls, had been born again in
the person of Jesus; for John had
but recently died, and Jesus was
nearly as old as he; but it was the
conception, as expressed in the
I text, that Jesus was John risen from
the dead.
therefore
mighty
works.There was a prevalent idea among
the ancients that departed spirits
were endowed with superhuman
powers; hence Herod's conclusron
that the supposed resurrection of
John would account for the miglty
works in question.
3. For Herod had.-The
Jv
connects the statements which fol
low with the opinion of Herod expressed in the previous verse. In
quoting that opinion, ~fatthew had
indirectly intruduced the fact of
John's death, although he had not
yet mentioned the fact in his narrative, For the double purp()se of
supplying this omission and aocounting for the singular opinion
which Herod formed concerning
IJeHUS,he relates the following ciroumstances.
in prison for Herodias' sake
-The imJ;'risonment of .John had
been mentioned before (iv. I:.!), hut
not the cause of it. Here the cause
and the final result are given.

Opinion of Herod, xiv. 1-12.

(Mark vi. 14-29; Luke ix. 7-9.)
1. Herod the tetrarch.-Herod
the Great left a will by which his
kingdom was divided into four unequal parts. He gave Judea to his
son ArchelauB (ii. 22); Galilee and
the region beyond Jordan, to his
son Herod Antipas, the one here
mentioned; Iturea and Trachonitis,
districts north and north-east from
Galilee, to his son Herod Philip;
and Abilene, the extreme northern
part, to Lysaniaa, of whom little is
known. Each of these was called a
tetrarrh (ruler of a fourth), because he ruled over one of the four
parts of the former kingdom.
(Comp. Luke iii. 1.)
2. This is John.-The
opinion
that Jesus was .Iohn the n.lptist:
risen from the dead originated with
others (Luke ix, 7-9), but was
adopted by Herod. So tragic an
end R.8 had befallen John, in early

xiv.4-11.r

MATTHEW.

129

his brother [Phil'ip's] wife. For

John said unto him, It is not
lawful for thee to have her.
I And when he would have put
him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted
him as a prophet.
But when
Her'od's birthday was kept, the
daughter of Hero'dias danced
before them, and pleased Her' od.
'Whereupon
he promised with
8 .,.I.i..ov Ree, Omitted by T. B. Green,

an oath to give her whatsoever

she would ask, I And she, be.
ing before instructed of her
mother, said, Give me here John
Baptist's head in a charger.
And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and
them which sat with him at
meat, he commanded it to be
given her. 10 And he sent, and
beheaded John in the prison.
II And his head was brought
in
a charger, and given to the ~arn-

4. For John said unto him.-

only by his own respect for John,

but by fear of It violent insurrection
of the people-a result which would
have occurred but for the refusal
of Jesus to head the movement.
(See below, 12, 13, and .John vi. 15.)

Alford,

Tregellea.

The singular impartiality and fearIessness of John are here exhibited.

While rebuking the sins of the
common people, and of the Phnrisoes and Sadducees, who had no
civil power in their hands, he might
be considered entirely safe; but
when Herod, who was living in
adultery with his brother's wife,
and who had the power of life and
death in his hand, came to hear
him, the inquiry would naturally
occur to the people, will he rebuke
Herod, as he has rebuked us. To
their surprise, no doubt, he administered the rebuke.
The consequence was to be expectcd-e-he lost
his liberty, and eventually his life.
The time-servers of his day may
have thought that he rpckle~sly sacrificed his life and his continued
usefulness;
but suhsequont age's,
however they may fail to imitate
him, have ever admired the nobilitv
of his conduct.
No man is worth;'
to stand before the people and call
them to repentance, who ran wink
at sin in hig;h places nnd show a
truckling respect of persons.

6-8, before instructed,-The

girl was instructed by her mother,

not before she went in, but after
the promise was made to her by
Herod, and she had /!one to her
mother for advice. (:\lark vi. 24.)
9, 10. the king was sorry.He was sorry that the request
was made, for the same reason
which had restrained him before
(verse 5); but his reluctance W!iS
overcome by the consideration of
his oath, and hy his respect for
" those who sat with him at meat."
The latter reason implies that the
company insisted on his compliance, failing, as be did, to see that
the proposed act wns really not
within the scope of his oath
It
was a present of pecuniary value
which he had promised, and not the
commission of a crime.
In his
CI\8C,
as in that of many other
wicked men, the great sin ot' his life
was committed in pro.ecution
of It
5. feared the multitude.-It
was only in conH'quence (If the per- course of evil previously be~n, and
sistent entreaties of Herodias. that at the instigation
d evil comHerod would have put him to panions.
death;"
for his own inclination
11. brought it to her mother
W8.8
to spare him. (See Mark vi. -Herodias
had thirsted for revenge,
19, 20.)
He was restrained not and sought it persistently ever since

MA1THEW.

130

[xiv. 12-14.

sel, and she brought it to her

mother.
11 And
his disciples
came, and took up the body,
a.nd buried it, and went and
told Je'sus.
U When Je'sus heard of it, he
departed thence by ship into a
desert place apart: and when

the people had heard thereof,

they followed him on foot out
of 'the cities. U And [Je'sus]
went forth, and saw a great
multitude, and was moved with
compassion toward them, and

John administered the fatal rebuke;

but when the ~ory head was IBid in
her lap, instead of the pleasure
which she anticipated, there must
have been kindled within her heart
the flames of a remorse, which, like
the fires of hell, never shall he
quenched. The crime stamped the
names of the ~uilty couple with
g.reater infamy than that for which
.10hn had rebuked them; and who
can depict the scene when they
shall meet John in the day of judgment? Such is revenge, Let all
who allow themselves to thirst for
it take warning.

was a moment of intense excitement. Jesus himself could not fail

to be deeply moved by the mournful fate of John. The cruelty of
the deed, the love which he bore u
the victim, the thought of his own
fate which it brought to mind, and
the excitement of the people, all
combined to stir within him a variety of emotions.
These feelings
must be held in abeyance, and the
excitement among the people must
be allowed to subside. To promote
both of these ends, he sought the
privacy of the desert, where, as the
sequel shows (22), he intended to
spend a long time in prayer. Thus
did -Iesus demean himself in a great
crisis of his career.

12. went and told Jesus.-

After decently burying the headless

trunk of the great preacher, John's
disciples went to Jesus, not merely
til tell him the news, but to find in
him a leader. As Herod had anticipated, they were greatly exasperated (verse 5); they knew the
friendship of John for Jesus; they
knew that the latter intended to set
up a kingdom; they believed that
this would involve the overthrow of
Herod's power; and they were
ready now to revolt and make Jesus
a king. (See l3, and John vi. I, 2,
15.) Had their wish been gratified,
they would have obtained revenge;
but, like Herodias, they would have
obtained none but bitter fruits
therefrom.
Admiration
of th People, and
Feeding the Five Thousand, 1321 (Mark vi. 30-34' Luke ix
.

'
.
12-17; John Vi. 5-14.)

13. into a desert place.-It

14 ~ 'hero.. Rtt:.
Omitted by Lach .
Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregellea.

followed

him on foot.-The

people would not allow him to

shake them oft'. As fast WI they
heard of John's death," they rushed
out of their cities to go to him, so
that when he reached the shore
toward which his vessel had heen
headed, the multitude, who had
some means of knowing his destina
tion, were in great numbers await..
ing him.

14. he healed their sick.-

While the chief part of the multitude had been drawn together by
the prevailing excitement, some had
not forgotten to }>ring with them
" Heard t~ereof" (13). refers not to the
departure of Jesu s, but to the death of
John
It Is '!- rep-ttt'on. In connection
wJth" penole.' of the ssme word just used
In eonneeuon "lth . Jesus."
. When Je18u8 heard of It he departed," and" when
the people heard of It they followed him.'

xiv. 15-23.]

he healed their sick.

II And
when it WII8 evening, his discipIes came to him, saying, This
.8 a desert place, and the time is
now past; send [tliell] the multitude away, that they may go
into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
But Je'sus
say unto them, They need not
depart;
give ye them to eat.
U And
they say unto him, We
have here but five loaves, and
two fishes.
II He
said, Bring
them hither to me.
l' And
he
commanded the multitude to sit
down on the grass, and took the
five loaves, and the two fishes,
and looking up to heaven, he

l'

IS
tord.

III

MATTHEW.

o~. Added by T\ach., T. 8. Green,

Al-

their sick and afflicted friends, that

thev might he healed.
i5. and buy victuals. - So
great WIlS the excitement of the
people, that they had come out
many miles from home without the
precaution of brin~ing food. Hav
tng fasted till late In the afternoon,
the,Y still seemed inclined to remam, when the compassion of the
disciples prompted the request that
thev be sent away.
i6. give ye them to eat.-Thill
proposal was intended to try the
disciples (John vi. 6); yet it was
also an earnest proposal which he
intended that they should carry
into effect.
19. blessed and brake.-.lohn
lIays, he returned thanks." (John
VI. 11.)
He blessed the loaves and
fuohesby returning thanks for them.
'l'nis and similar acts of Jesus are
our precedents for ~iving thanks or
"l\8king the blessing," at our tabt es.
20, 21. the fragments.-Theae
"'Ire gathered up not merely" that
...,thing be lost' (John vi. 12), but

I the
blessed, and brake, and gave
loaves to his disciples, and
the disciples to the multitude
And they did all eat, and were
filled: and they took up of the
fragments that remained twelve
baskets full.
II And
they that
had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and
children.
,. And
straightway
rJe'sus]
constrained
his: the disciples
to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side,
while he sent the multitudes
away.
II And
when he had sent
the multitudes
away, he went
10

22 h 'J ~(7O.' Ree.

Omitted by Lach .
TIsch . T. S. Green, Alford. Tregellea.
22
Bee, Omitted by 'I'iseh., T. 8.
Green, Alford, TregeUea.

.no.

also to exhibit more str ikinaly the

extent of the miracle: for the quantity of fragments left after five
thousand persons and more had
been fed was much greater than
the entire !J.uantity at the beginning. The Increase had occurred
by the instuntaneous restoration of
the size of the loaf, as each man
broke off a peace more than suffieient for himself. Thus the miracle
was witnessed bv each one of the
five thousand, and it WIU! really resolved into five thousand repetitions
of the same miracle. On this account it was the most surprising
miracle which the people had yet
witnessed.
Walking on the Sea, and the Faith
of the Disciples, 22-33. (Mark
vi. 45-52; John vi. 15-21.)
22,23. into a mountain apart.
-As we observed in the beginning
of the previous paragraph (note on
13), .Iesus started for the desert in
the morning for the purpose of solitary prayer.
His purpose had

132

MATTHEW.

[xiv. 24--:-11.

up into a mom tain apart to r spake unto them, saying, Be of

pray:
and wher.. the evening gor-d cheer;
it is I; be not
was come, he was there alone. afraid.
And Pe'ter answered
But the ship was :l('W in the him and said, Lord, if it be
midst of the sea, tossed with th: u, hid me come unto thee on
waves, for the wind was con-I th- water.
,g And
he said,
trary.
U And
in the fourth Cerne.
Aml when Pe'ter was
watch (the night [Je'susJ went come down out of the ship, he
untc them, walking on the sea. walked on the water, to go to
And when the disciples saw Jenis.
aoBut when he saw the
him walking on the sea, they wind boisterous, he was afraid;
were troubled,
saying, It is a ar.~ beginning to sink, he cried,
spirit;
and they cried out for saying. Lord, save me, nAnd
fear.
IT But
straightway -Ie'sus im.nediately
Je'sus
stretched
forth Ins hand, and caught him,
2.,>" 'I~O'ov< Rrc,
Omitted
hy i.ach.,
Tisch., '1'. S. Green. Alford. Tregelles.
aut! said unto him, 0 thou of

heen frustrated throughout the day in the visible pre~ence of beings

hy the presence of th people : but from the other world.
now. h:win~ dia.aissed the p,jople I 27,28. bid me come unto thee.
and sent his disciples away in their -Their fear was instantly removed
boat. IH' climbs the mountain side wi-tt'n they heard the well known
and remains in the coveted solitude voice of the Mastct. "z('la:.<ni,.~.
until the fourth W":~11 <It the night "it is I : be not afraid, and Peter,
(~5), or till after three oc'<ck. witn the impulsiveness of a boy,
Why he spent so long a time in wno always wants to attempt any
prayer, it is difficult for us who surprising feat which he sees anknow so little of the value of other person perform. requests the
prayer, and so little of the inner Lord to let him too walk '1 the
life of Jesus, to understand.
water.
24. for the wind was con30. he was afraid.-Like
other
trary.-It
is a singulnr providen- I ha..ty adventurers, Peter soon found
tial coincidence, that while Jesu.. _.imself in a more tryin!! situation
was stru!!:!!ling with prayer on the I thun he anticipated.
Too far from
mountain. his disciples were ~~rl\g-I the vessel to catch back upon it.
gling with a wind on the fI/'.... This l and not ncar enough to Jesus to
wind detained them as if on pur- seize hold of him. he thought of
pose to :rive occasion for the mira- th- strona wind and the rough sea,
cle which startled them jJ8t before anti being seized with fear he began
the break o; dp,.
to s.nk,
26. It is a spmt.v-Tbe scene
31. of little faith.-As
Jesus
occurred in the night ; consequently, steps forward and catches up the
when Jesu~ first came into view. the ~lIlldng disciple. he pomts cut to
disciples could ~ -e nothing hut ~he hun the immed iate cause r f his
dim outline of :. man's f,HID walk- d,lO;;er. His faith wa~ so weak
in)! over the rough waves. and it is that danger Gad turne.I it into
no wonder that they thought him a doo ct,
The mcident show- that
disembodied spirit. and that they fto!>ris a source of doubt and an
were overcome with that unreason- ene.ny of faith; and it illu-trates
ing fear which all men experience the met that tnose whc po&~el!8ed
I'

xiv, 32-xv. 2.J

MATTHEW.

183

little faith, wherefore didst thou into all that country round
doubt? I. And when they were about, and brought unto him
come into the ship, the wind all that were diseased; III and
ceased, II Then they that were besought him that they might
in the ship came and worshiped only touch the hem of his garhim, saying, Of a truth thou ment: and as many as touched
out the Son of God.
were made perfectly whole .
And when they were gone I XV. 1 Then carue to Je'sus
over, they came into the land! scribes and Phar'isees, which
of Gennes'aret.
S$ And
when were' of -Ieru'salem,
saying,
the men of that place had 'Vhy do thy disciples transgress
knowledge of him, they sent out, the tradition of the elders? for
miraculous gifts could only succeed nesaret,
(Josephus, Wan, B. iii,
in working miracles when their ch.:I', ~~ 7, 8.)
faith was in lively exercise.
35, 36. they sent out.-The
32, 33. th..e wind ceased.-The
prompt action of the people in sendsudden cessatiun of the wind im- mg out into every part of the plane
pressed the disciples as deeply &II for the sick, was the result of their
~he walking on the water. They previous acquaintance with Jesus,
gathered around .Iesus, and bowing and their faith in his powpr and
down before INm, exclaimed with' goodness. That the touch of the
one voice, "Of a truth thou art the ,hem of his garment made many
Son of God." In the very hour in' perfectly whole, was the surpr iaing
which Peter was rebuked for the' reward of their implicit faith.
weakness of his faith, the faith of i Opposition of Scribes and Pharithe whole party gathered new
v 1-9 (~la k .. 1-13)
strength and found a most emphatic
sees, x .
. r VII.
.
expression.
How curiously the:
1. were of Jerusalem.-The
great Teacher was playing on the career of Jesus in Galilee, together
chords of their hearts, and tuning with the two viaite which he had
them to the harmonies of heaven. 'made to Jerusalem (John ii. 13; v.
_
.
I I), had arrested the attention of the
Oure lit Gtnlle.~aTet, alld Faith.
I leading
minds in that city. The
;~~r:)ople, 34-36. (~Iark Vl'I-!lribeS and. Pharisees h~r:e men.
.ioned were In all probahility sent
34. Gennesaret.-The
land of , up by their nssocintes in Jerusalem
Gennesnrer was 1\ plane at the north- to counteract his influence. They
west cline of the lake of Galilee, expected to put him to a severer
which -losephus describes as about test than had been applied by the
thirty furlongs in length by abont less cultivated scribes and Pharisees
twenty in average width. and of Galilee, and they entered the
bounded on the west by a semicir- contest with confident hope of suocular line of hills. It was exceed- cess.
bgly fertile, and was thicklv set
2. transgress
the tradition.with cities and villages.
Caper- Not being able to find any ground
naum was near its northern extrem- for denying the miracles of Jesus,
'fJ, and near the southern WIlA the or any violation of the law in
o.lty uf Magdala. The lake itself either himself or his disciples, they
,,8.11
sometime! called, from the I make the best attack in their power
..ame of thi! plane, the sea of Gen- by charging the latter with trans-

or

134

MATIHEW.

[xv. 8-8.

mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited

by me; and honor not his father
or hi" mother, he shall be free.
Thus have ye made I the cornmandment: the law I of God of
none effect by your tradition.
T Ye hypocrites, well did Esa'ias
prophesy of you, saying, Thia

they wash not their hands when

they eat bread. I But he answered and said unto them, Why
do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded,
saying, Honor thy father and
mother: and, He that curseth
father or mother, let him die the
death. But ye say, Whosoever
shall say to his father or his

6 n,v ."TOA."., &c.

Green, AUord.

"by ..610401' Tisch., T. S.

S!'esMingthe tradition of the elders. beggary or starvation.

But they
(For a.statement of their doctrine on had taught that a son could say oC
this subject, Bee note on iii. 7.) The that part of his estate by which hia
tradition that a. man should not eat parent might be profited, It is
without first wa.shing his hands,' gift; that is, a. gift to God ( Corban,
WIl.8 an extension by human authorMark vii. 11), and thereby free
ity of the Mosaic law of unclean-I himself from the obligation. Thus
ness.
Other traditions belonging the commandment was made of no
to the same category are mentioned effect by freeing from it every unin Mark vii. 3, 4. It could not be grateful son who was mean enough
denied that the disciples trans- to desire such freedom. This examgreased this tradition, a.nd a.s the I pie did not touch the question of
accusers held the traditions to be I uncleanness, but it proved that traequal in authority to the written dition was an unuuthoritative a.nd
word, they thought they had cer- mischievous guide, and as the
tainly convicted Jesus of sin in al- objection of the scribes was based
lowing this transgression.
on the authority of tradition, it de3. transgress
the command- stroyed the force of the objection.
ment. - Tacitly
admitting
the The particular tradition about eatcharge, Jesus defends his disciples ing with unwashed hands is disby attacking tradition itself; not cussed on its merits in the next
this particular tradition, but all paragraph: principles are settled
tradition.
He charges that they, first, and details afterward.
by their tradition, transgressed the
7, Ye hypocrites,-There
wa.a
commandment of God, and that the hlpocrisy in the device of the trah'adition itself was therefore sinful. ditionists, because in proposing to
4-6. For God commanded.honor God by vowing to him what
In order to austaiu his charge, he should go to the poor parent, there
specifies their tradition in regard to was the false pretense of doing for
the support of indigent parents. ilis honor what was really done to
The commandment, "Honor thy gratify avarice. ~ll similnr subatifather and thy mother," requires a. tutions of human expedients in the
Ion to support his parents when place of God's appointments are
they become dependent.
And the prompted by some improper desire,
statute, "He that curseth father or and are therefore liable to the same
mother, let him die the death," re- charge, (See on verse 9.)
quired the death of a.ny 80n who
7, 8. prophesy of yon.-To
would practically curse his aged prophesy IS to speak by inspiration,
parents bv ca.atina: them off into whether of the future, the past, c

n.9-12.]

MATTHEW.

people [draweth nigh unto me

with their mouth and] honoreth
me with their lips; but their
heart is tar from me. But in
vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandcents of men.
'1 'Eyyt, . ""0' ~.
crt'6,....,., .61- " CU Bee.
Jmitl.e<1 by Lsch., Tach, T. 8. Green. AI
ford, Tregelles, 1(, D, D, 1., 88, 124, Old
LaUn, Vulg&te, N. Byrt&c, Coptic, lEthl
epic, Armenian, ete., many writen.

&hepresent.
Isaiah did not prophesy these words with special reference to these particular persons;
but he spoke primarily of the Jews
of his own age. (I8a. xxix. 13.)
In prophesying of them, however,
he spoke what IS equally true of all
others who are guilty of the same
hypocrisy, and on this account ,Jesus
applied the words to his accusers.

9. in vain they do worship.-

This verse is rather a conclusion

than a quotation.
The words of
Isaiah are, "Their fear toward me
is taught by the r.recept of men."
Fear toward God, If pure and rightly
inspired, springs from the word of
God, and not from the commandment of man. So far, therefore, as
a man's worship of God is the result
of human authority, it springs from
an improper source, and is vain.
Every human addition to the commandments of God, so far as it induces any worship at all, induces
vain worship, and there is probably
not one such addition which does
not, to a greater or less degree,
make some commandment
void.
Thus the tradition of infant baptism, to the extent that it is adopted,
makes of no effect the commandment concerning the baptism of believers, by baptizing personR in their
infancy; and if it should become
universally prevalent, by the baptism of all persons in their infancy
it would bring to an end forever the
only baptism commanded of God.

136

'GAnd he called the multitude,

and said unto them, Hear, and
understand: II Not that which
goeth into the mouth defileth a
man; but that which cometh
out of the mouth, this defileth a
man.
uThen came [his : the I
disciples, and said unto him,
Knowest thou that the Phar'j12 .flTo" R. Omitted
T. 8. Green, A.lford.

by Lach., 'I'I*lh

Chrnt', Laseof l7ncleannu8,lO-20.

(Mark vii. 14-23.)

10, 11. he called the multi-

tude.-In
the preceding paragraph
Jesus did not touch the question of
uncleanness raised by the Pharisees, but performed the more important task of showing the want of
authority and the mischievous efi'ects
of all tradition; in this, he defends
the conduct of his disciples by statin~ that a man is defiled, not by
that which goee into his mouth, but
by that which comes out. He gives
this explanation, not to the Pharisees, who were captious objectors
not willing to hear any defense, but
to the more teachable multitude;
and he makes the statement on the
naked authority- of his own word,
relying on their good sense for ita
acceptance.
Such appeals to the
common sense of mankind, when
the proposition affirmed is true, are
often more effective than a process
of reasoning, and they were often
employed both by Jesus and the
apostles.

12. Pharisees were offended.

-The disciples were pained at the

offense given to these highly re
spectable strangers from Jerusalem;
for, like many Christians of the
present day, their respect for the
feelings of men was greater than
their zeal for the truth.
The" say
ing" (~ov)
which had given
fense was the entire speech. He

of.

136

MATTHEW.

[xv, 13-17.

him, Declare unto us I this: ~ I

parable.
11 And
(Je'sus] said,
Are ye also yet Without understanding?
IT Do not ye [yet]
understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth

sees were offended, after , they

heard this saying?
II But
he
answered and said, Every plant,
which my heavenly Father hath
not planted, shall be rooted up.
" Let them alone: they be blind
leaders of the blind. And if
the blind lead the blind, both
shall fall into the ditch. 16 Then
answered Pe'ter and said unto

15 T"';T~"Ree,
Omitted by Lach., T. 8.
Green, Alford, Tregelles.
16 'I~<T.';< Ree, Omitted by Lach., Tlach..
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelle .
17 OU1TW Rec.
oti Lach., Ttsch., T. 8.
Green, Tregelles.

had proved that by their tradition

they were nullifying the word .of
God; he had charged them With
hlPocrisy; he had declared that all
o their worship based on the authority of tradition was vain worship; and he had swept away the
entire fabric of their traditionary
law of uncleanness, bv declaring
that a man is not defiled by that
which goes into his mouth.
He
had not only defended himself, but
he had turned their own weapons
with irresistible effect against them,
and it is not surprising that they
were offended.
13. Every plant.-In
reply to
the modest complaint of the disciples. Jesus compares the Pharisees
to plants in a garden that were not
planted by the owner of it, and
declares that they shall be rooted
up. They were teaching without
divine authority or approbation;
and what he had said was intended
not to please them, but to root them
up.
14. Let them alone.-Let
them
alone, not in the way of ceasing to
expose their errors, but in the sense
of making no effort to appease them.
The disciples were to be regardless
of them as Jesus was, making no
chauge in either the matter or manner of discourse for their sake.
Sometimes the best way to move
men is to be totally indifferent to
them; and when men stand opposed
to the truth from corrupt motives,
the only possible chance to do them

good is to offend them, for when

you please them you only confirm
them in their wicked ways.
both fall. - It is sometimes
thought, that if a man is misled by
his teacher, he will be excused for
going astra,Yi but Jesus here teaches
that the blind man who is led will
fall into the ditch with his blind
leader.
This is clear enough in
reference to the literullv blind, and
Jesus asserts it in reference to the
spiritually blind. If a man, knowing himself to be blind, allows another blind man to lead him, he
deserves to fall into the ditch. He
should choose a leader who can see,
and as there is no leader who can
see all the way that we have to
travel except Jesus, let us take his
word as our only ~uide, going only
as it leads us. '!'he word of God
must be our pillar of cloud by day,
and of fire by night; we move
when it moves, and stop where it
stops.
15, 16. the parable.-The
disciples were themselves so much
under the influence of tradition,
that they supposed the remark
about that which defiles to be a
parable. They had heen blindly
led by the blind guides.
17-19, they defile the man.Here the Christian idea of uncleanness is fully stated, and the disciples were the better prepared for it
by the gradual manner in which it
was approached.
In this entire
ourazraph
.J esus treats of that

lV.

18-21.]

MATTHEW.

187

Into the belly, and is cast out

Into the draught?
11 But
those
things which proceed out of the
mouth come forth from the
heart; and they defile the man.
d For
out of the heart proceed
evil thoughts, murders, adulter-

les, fornications, thefts, false

witness, blasphemies : IOtheseare
the things which defile a man :
but to eat with unwashen hands
defileth not a mall.
21 Then
J e'sus went thence,
and departed into the coasts of

which the uncleanness of the law

,,"pitied, and not of legal uncleanness itself
Although, according to
the law of Moses, eating with unwashed Lands did not defile a man,
yet 80IDd things entering into the
mouth did have this effect. (See
Lev xi. 40.) Uut the Pharisees,
COil founding the tyne with the antitvpe, taught that the soul was defilet! by that which caused only
Je)!"ul uncleanness.
.Iesus corrects
this mistake, and in giving the true
.igniticunce of the type, gives the
true conception of uucleauness under the Christian dispensation.

Nazarenes who had been familiar

wrth his conduct from his! .childhood; and the other, that of a company of scribes and Pharisees from
the religious capital of the nation,
who visited Galilee for the purpose,
and who were supposed to huve the
best qualifications
for this task.
Third, it is also apparent from the
section, that even those who held
opinions adverse to the claims of
Jesus, either admitted the reality
of his miracles, or made no effort
to deny it; and that it was on account of his oft repeated and wonderfully varied miracles, wrought
under such circumstances that men
could not be mistaken about them,
that the disciples and the multitude
believed in him. His claims, then,
were unquestionably
sustained by
miraculous evidences.
_
SECTIOX XU
- .
TOURS TO TYRE AND SIDONAND TO
C8ARRAPHILIPPI, XV. 21-XVII.
27.

ARGUMENTOF

8BCTION

11.

Several arguments for the claims

of Jesus are involved in the facts
of this chapter.
First, it is made
manifest that the opinions adverse
&0 his da,imB orig-inated either in
envv, ae III the case of the Naaarenes ; in the workings of a ~i1ty
conscience, as in the case of Herod
and his courtiers; or in the prejudices which resulted from hypocrit- The Canaanite
Woman's
Daught r,
ical praetices, as in the case of the
xv, 2l-28; Cures neur 1he Lake Shore,
29-31; F edlng tile Four Thousand,
scribes and Pharisees. Opposition
32-139; A Sign from
Heaven
Dearising from such sources arzues,
rnunded,
xvi
1-4: Leaven
of tile
Pharisees and Haddllcees, 5-12; Conwith strong probability, the riShtversatton
uea r Cee..area
Phllippi,
eousness
of the cause agamst
13-20; Ftrat Plain Prediction
of HIM
which it is arraved.
Second, it is
Death, 21-2ai . lf-xacrrflce
and tbe
Jllogrnent,
~28;
The '1'1a nsnguramade t. appear that all attempts to
tlOII, x\".1.1-13; An Obst l nat e Dmon
justify the opposition by condemnCas' Ont, 14-21; Rcond Predrctton
or Jesus' Dt-ach, 22, 23.
109 thE conduct of Je8us were foiled
and made to recoil on the heads of
their authors.
The two examples
The Canaanite Woman's Douohler,
recorded are those in which the
,xv. 21-28.
(Mark vii. 24-30 )
opposirlon W1lII most likely to be
uecesaful it succese were poseible ;
21. coasts of Tyre and Sidon .
dI. tirit being an attempt of the -The term rendered consta \""1''1)-

l~

138

MATTHEW.

[xv. 22-21.

Tyre and Si'don. n And, behold, a woman of Oa'naan came

out of the same coasts, and cried
unto him, saying, Have mercy
on me, 0 Lord, thou son of
Da'vid; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. II But
he answered her not a word.
And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her
away; for she crieth after us.

But he answered and said, 1

am not sent but unto the lost
sheep of the house of Is'rael.
Then came she and worslped
him, saying, Lord, help me.
But he answered and sai , It
is not I meet: olknoed. I to take
the children's bread, and to cast
it to dogs.
If And
she said,

more literally parts - means those

parts of the country which belonged
to these two cities. Jesus was now
on Gentile Boil, in Phoenicia, northwest of Galilee. He was remote from
his usual places of resort. and among
a people to whom he was a stranger.
22. a woman of Canaan.-The
Canaanites were the founders of
I:!idon(Gen. x, 19), and the Phoeniciuns were their descendants. (For
another designation of this #oman,
see Mark vii. 26.)
Lord, thou Bon of David.These words in the mouth of a
Gentile woman on Gentile soil are
remarkable.
They show that she
was acquainted with the .Iewish
idea of the Messiah, and they indio
cate the spread of Jewish ideas and
hopes among surrounding nations.
Je~us had never been bere before,
nor had this woman, in all probability, ever visited him in Galilee j
but his fame had spread through all
Syria (Matt. iv. 24), of which Phcenicia was a part.and she had doubtless Ionged for an opportunity to
bring his healing power to bear on
her child. Her great need of him
caused her to know of his presence,
though" he would have no man to
knuw it." (Mark'wii. 24.)
23. answered
her not.-Cuntrary to his uniform custom hitherto, Jesus appeared to be deaf to
the woman's entreatiee, until the
disciples, annoyed by her cries, and
pained by his apparent indifference.

besought him to Bend her away.

They did not mean that he should
dismiss her without granting her
request; but that he should send
her aw~ by granting it.
24. I am not sent.-This
answer was made to the disciples, not
to the woman. It was the respot8e
to their request that he should send
her away. It is true that his ministry was limited to the Jews, and
that to extend it beyond them, except in extraordinary cases, would
be goin~ beyond his general plan.
This limitation was Imposed, because, in the wisdom of God, it WSb
seen to be the very best method for
the final evangelization not only of
the Jews, but of the Gemilcs themselves.
25. and worshiped him.--8till
persisting in her efforts to arrest
his attention, and determined, notwithstanding his apparent indifference, to extort from him a response, the woman now comes near
and prostrates herself (":poCJZVvu)
before him, as if to block up hi,
path, and utters the piteous cry.
"Lord, help me."
26, 27. Truth,
Lord. - The
woman's faith was put to a st\1.1severer test, when, with unfeeling
look and tone, as if his heart were
made of adamant. he at last looked
down on the pleading face and said
"It ill not meet to take the chi]
dren's meat and casr it to, dogs.'
Manv a woman, at such a'1Bpeech.

26 I<TT a.\b~~
".<TT.
Lach., TIJch.
T. 8. Green, AUord, D, &, b. c, ete,

xv. 28-30.]

MATTHEW.

Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat

of the crumbs which fall from
their masters' table.
Then
Je'sus answered and said unto
her, 0 woman, great is thy faith:
De it unto thee even as thou wilt.
And her daughter W88 made
whole from that very hour.
And J e'sus departed from
thence, and came nigh unto the

189

sea of Gal'ilee j and went up

into a mountain, and sat down
there. 10 And great multitudes
came unto him, having with
them those that were lame,
blind, dumb, maimed, and many
others, and cast them down at
IJe'sus': his I feet j and he healed
80 f'OU 'h,l7ou Ree.
ClVrov Lach.,
T. B. Green, Ailord, TregeUeo

TIBch.,

ould have risen in despair, and of sin, cries fiteously and long to
;one away in anger. In her inimi- the blessed Savior, saying, " Lord,
'able reply, "'fruth, Lord, yet the help me."
And how often does
:to~s eat of the crumbs which fall Jesus appear, for awhile, to give no
from their masters' table," we know heed to the cry, until even a cold
not which to admire more-e-the read- world begins to pity the wretched
[ness of her wit, or thc depth of petitioner.
But finally, when a
her humility.
mighty faith has been developed
28. great is thy faith.-The'
out of sorrow and weeping, the un}hillin/l: ~ilence of ,1eRuRhad ~ained ; heard answer comes, "Be it unto
ita purpose in druwinz out from thee 1\8 thou wilt." The story of
~he woman this admirable expres- the Canaanite woman is a type, and
!ion of her faith, and now his it is written for our admonition on
~me and manner undergo a change. whom the ends of the world have
He is like himself u)!ain.
v,' e come. It is another illustration of
ean readily see that her humility the Savior's doctrine, that "men
~1\8 great;
but where is the eVI- ought always to p'ray, and not to
dence of her great faith?
Men faint."
(Luke XVIii. 1-8.)
who have no faith in Jesus, look on Cures n~ar the Lake Shore, 29-3l.
him 1\8 beneath themselves.
Those
(Mark vii. 31-37.)
"ho have little faith in him, regard
29, came nigh unto the sea,him 1\8 only a little their superior;
!.Iut as faith increases. he goes up Jesus is now again near tile lake
,nd we go down, so that the greateat of Galilee, and as we learn from
~umility before him is one evidence Mark (vii. 31), near the 80uth-~St,..
ern shore, having come thr
h
of the greatest faith. He l~ked
The last paragraph
0into the bottom of her heart, and Decapolis.
eommended that which WI\8 the cated him north-west of Galilee,
'!Ource of all of her humility and her and the present locates him on the
opposite side of Galilee, without
perseverance.
even as thou wilt.-The
ear- noting the route by which he had
"lest perseverance of the faithful made the transit.
30, great multitudes
came.""oman gains ita point, and he,J
mother's heart is made to rejoice. Only once before, when he cured
;:.eaa love for her child, or less fai th the man with the legion of demons,
m Jesus, would have caused a' fail- had Jesus been in tl1is district; and
ure, The entire scene is often re- then the people had requested him
Mated in pious households.
How to go away. (viii. 34.) But now,
'lftcn a pious mother, with a child influenced partly by their own remevoualv vexed with the demon flections, and partly bv the preach-

[:xv. 31-39.

MATTHEW.
them: 11 insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw
the dumb to speak, the maimed
to he whole, the lame to walk,
anu the blind to see: and they
glorified the God of Is/rael.
"Then Je'sus called his discipies unto him, and said, I have
eomnassion on the multitude,
because they continue with me
now three days, and have nothill!! to eat:
and I will not "end
them away fasting, lest they
taint in the way. U And I his:
"',,: disciples say unto him,
"~ .nee should we have so much
oread in the wilderness, as to
fill so great a multitude ? "And
Je'sus saith unto them, How
8.1 aUTO;; Rec.
Green, Alford.

Omitted

by n.ch.,

Ie?

many loaves have

And
they said, Seven, an a few little fishes. I6And he commanded
the multitude to sit down on
the ground.
II And he took the
seven loaves and the fishes, and
gave thanks, and brake them,
and gave to [his] disciples, and
the disciples to the multitude.
ITAnd they did all eat, and were
filled: and they took up of the
broken meat that wall left seven
baskets full. And they that
did eat were four thousand
I men, beside women and children.
n And he sent' away
the multitude, and touk ship,
and came into the coasts of
Magdala.

T. B.

3(1ail'r.ii l0!.
Green, Alford.

Omitted

by TI8Ch., '1'. II.

ing of the demoniac (Mark v. 19,

33. Whence . . 80 much
they flock' around him with bread.-The
disciples had forgotthe!r !,ame, blind, dumb, and ten the feeding of the five thousand
maimed.
under similar circumstances, or, at
31. glorified the God of Israel.
least, they did not expect a repeti-This was naturall.r the first effect tion of the miracle.
of witnessing the miraculous cures,
34. How many loaves.-ltw&II
after fear of him who wrought them only when he Rent the disciples out
had passed away. The people saw I on their first hurried mission, that
elearly that the power by which they were told to carry no scrip
Jesus worked was the power of with them (x. 10); ordinarily, as
God; but being comparatively ig- on the present occasion, they had
norant in reference to the Messiah- more or less food about them.
ship, they formed no definite concep- (Comp. xvi 5.)
tion at first of his person and office.
37. seven baskets full.- The
baskets were different from those
Feeding the Four ThottJJand,32-39. used when the five thousand wet's
tMark viii. 1-9.)
fed, the two kinds bein/! called by
32. three days, and have noth- two different names in Greek (""..ing to eat.-'fhe
statement is not ,,""s, and M\Jp,~as). It is probable
that they had been three days with that the latter, the kind used on the
nothing to eat, but that they had I present occasion. were the larger.
been with him three days, and flOW as it was one of them iu whicn
had nothing to eat. His compll.~- Paul was let down from the wall of
sion was excited, not because they Damascus
(Acts ix. 25 )
were now suffering, but because, if
39. into the coasts of liaR'
he sent them away fasting, they dala.-)lagdala
W,1.8 on the -
,
'Would" faint in the 'W&.1."
ern .hore of th" I>l.ke .Aud wben
20),

ni.I-3.]

MATrHEW.

HI

XVI. I The Phar'isees also: 'And in the morning, It will be

with the Sad'ducees came, and I foul weather to-day: for the
tempting desired him that he Iky is red and lowering. [0 ye
would shew them a sign from hypocrites], ye can discern the
heaven.
I He
answered and face of the sky; but can ye not
Mid unto them, 'Vhtn it is even- discern the signs of' the times?
ing, ye say, It will be fair II ""O~P'T'" R~. Omitted by Lach.,
weather: for the sky is red. Tt.ch., T. 8. Green, Alford, Tregellea.
Jesu8 reached
its vicinity, he W1III
2, 3. discern
the face of the
,,/!ain in his former field of labor,
sky,-These
signe are ~ood at the
having completed
his tour to Ty re present day, and in our own country.
It is an almost unfo.iling sil-(n
and :-;idon, and his return through
DecapoliB.
The points named in of foul weather to see clouds about
the tour are places which he had the sun in the morning,
and lin
equally
unfailing
sigu
of fair
seldom or never visited before.
weather
to see the sun set clear
A Sign from Heaven Demanded,
and fiery.
Hi. 1-4. plark
viii. 10-12.)
signs of the times,-The
time.
of the Messiah. and the miraculous
1. with the Sadducees,-This
i. the first and only time that the evidences
which he had !!in'n that
Pharisees
and Sadducees
are men- thev were at hand.
These were a.
tioned ILl! acting in concert a)!:ainst plainly to be seen as the clouds at
Jesus.
Their
extreme
jealousy
sunrise and lit sunset, hut the Phartoward each other, and the very dif- isees and Sadducees
failed to ""e
ferent grounds on which they were them in their real significance.
opposed to .1 esus, rendered
concert
4, adulterous
generation.of action almost impossible.
The From this and similar remarks elsechief cause for which the Pharisee.
where, it has been thought
that the
Jews of the Savior's time were a very
opposed, was his disregard
of their
traditions;
and in this the Sadducee!
adulterous
people.
They certain(r
were when compared with a perfect
sympathized
with .lesus,
because
they also denied the authority
of standard,
but not when compared
the heathen
nations
about
tradition.
In regard
to his mira- with
them.
The severe penalt.ios of the
cles they occupied common ground,
and hence their agreement
in ask- law against vices of this class placed
a wholesome
restraint
on the pasing for a sign from heaven.
tempting,-That
is, testing the sions of the people, and made them
very zealous for the punishment
of
extent
of his miraculous
powers.
(Comp . .Iohn viii .. 3-5.)
As they could not deny the mira- the guilty.
cles which he had wrought,
they
but the sign of J onas.-As
on
the occasion
of their previous dewanted to be able to sa~ that there
were Rome miracles which he could mand for a sizn (xii. 39), he meant
that no sign should be !!:iven of the
not work.
Once before a demand
they demanded
lIe
like this had been made of him kind which
(xii. 31\), and his refusal then in- gave many more of the kind which
he had '-'l'pn p:i\ in)!'. Th . reference
spired them with greater
boldness
to Jonah was an enigma to both the
in making the demand a~ain.
Thus,
friends
and the foes of .lesus ; for
with ingenuity
truly devilish, they
his
Bought an apparent
advantage
over neither party as yet anticipated
death, burial, and resurrection.
It
him before the people.

142

[xvi. 1 12.

MArrHEW.

, A wicked and adulterous generation

seeketh after a sIgn;
and there shall no sign be given
unto it, but the sign of [the
prophet]
Jonas.
And he left
them, and departed.
I And
when I his: the I disciples were come to the other side,
they had
forgotten
to take
bread.
Then J e'sus said unto
them, Take heed and beware of
the leaven of the Phar'isees and
of the Sad'ducees.
'And they
reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken
no bread.
Which when Je'sus
perceived, he said [ unto them],
4 ~o;;"po'H~ou Ree.
Omitted by Lach.,
Tisch., T. H. Green, Alford. Tregelles.
i> ",;~o;; Rec. Omitted by Lach., Tisch.,
T. 8. Green,Alford, TregelJes.
8 "';TO;, Reo. Omitted by Lach., Tisch.,
T.8. Green, Alford, TregeUes.

is one of a number of remarks

which Jesus let fall, the very obscurity of which caused them to be
remembered and talked about until
subsequent developments made them
intelligible, and then they furnished
very surprising proofs of his foreknowledge.
Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, 5-12. (Mark viii. 13-21.)

6. the other side.-The

incident of the last paragraph was located in the vicinity of Magdala
(xv. 39), which was on the western
side of the lake. When they came
to the other side," then, they were
on the eastern side, and as they
were on the way to Coosarea Philippi (13), they were probably near
the northern extremity uf the eastern shore.
forgotten to take bread.-This
t amark shows that they were in the
habit of taking bread with them
when they went on journeys like
the present.

ye of little faith, why reason

ye among yourselves,
because
ye have brought no bread? 'Do
ye not yet understand,
neither
remember the five loaves of the
five thousand,
and how many
baskets ye took up?
)0 Neither
the seven loaves of the four
thousand,
and how many baskets ye took up?
11 How
is
it that ye do not understand
that I spake it not to you concerning bread,
that ye should:
but I beware of the leaven of
the Phar'isees and of the Sad'ducees? )t Then understood they
how that he bade them not beware of the leaven [of bread],

11 fl'pouiXf&.tI IUc. wpou;x .".u Lacb.,

Ttsch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles
12 TO;; ii~o. Ree, Omitted by Tisch T.
8. Greeu, D, 121, a, b, etc., Annenian.

6-7. beware of the leaven.Jesus was still thinking of the hy.

pocrisy of the Pbariseea and Sadducees, which, like leaven, spreade
through society when practiced Ily
influential persons; but the diSCIples had fallen into other trains or
thought, and hence their awkward
mistake of supposing that he was
reproaching them for bringing no
bread.
8-H. 0 ye of little faith.Their mistake implies weakness of
faith, because ,Jesus had ,riven
abundant evidence of his ability to
feed them whether they had with
them much bread or little. If they
had remembered the feeding of th'e
five thousand and of the four thoi.sand, they would not have been
much concerned about bread.
12. Then understood
they.-
As 800n as they learned that he Wf18
usin~ the term leaven in a metaphorical sense, they understood the
remark, for the metaphor Wf18 simpie and familiar.

xvi. 13-16.]

MATTHEW.

143

but of the doctrine of the Phar' Son of man am: tM &n of man
is I? 16 And they said, Some l!liy
iIees and of the Sad'ducees.
u'Vhen
Je'sus came into the that thou art John the Baptist:
coasts of Coosare'a Philip' pi , he Borne, Eli'as; and others, Jereasked
his disciples,
saying, mi'as, or one of the prophets.
them,
But
Who!'l do men say that II the 16 He saith unto
whom say ye that I am? IIAnd
18~. Ru.
Omitted by TI8ch., T. 8.
Green, Allord, 'l'rege~ea.
Si'inon Pe'ter answered and said,
eon"er.ati.ot. near Cresarea Phi- Mpectio presented in the career of
,Jt'8U8.
The opinion that he W8.11
lippi, 13-20. (Mark viii. 27-30;
John the Baptist raised from the
Lu .e I... 18-21.)
dead, as we have already seen (xiv.
13. ClIlsarea Philippi. - This 2), arose from the superstition of
city was situated at the foot of Mt. the people, and was adopted by
Hermon, which rises some seven or Herod, 8.S a natural result of his
ei~ht thousand feet above it, and at )!uilty fears. tiome thou~ht that he
~he more eastern of the two princi- WII.!! the prophet Elijah returned
pal sources of the .Iordun.
It was again to earth, because of the boldbuilt on a limestone terrace, and ness with which he denounced the
was strongly fortified.
It was a sins of the a~e; while this charac,ery ancient city, and had been teristic, combined with the sorrowI:nown by the nnme of Panium; ful tone of his speech. 8u~;:e sted to
but it had been recentlv improved others that he was .Jeremiah. Others,
by Philip, tetrnrch of 1'rachonitis, unable to decide which prophet he
and called by him Cresarea Philippi, most resembled, thought that he
Xone
in honor of nirnself and the reign- was "one of the prophets."
ing Cresar. It iA the most northern regarded him as Jess than a prophet,
POlDt mentioned in the travels of and therefore all were inexcusable
for not accepting the account which
Jesus.
Who do men say.-The
world's he gave of himself. Their unbelief
greatest question is the one here on this point was the result of prepropounded, Wbo is Jesus ? In conceived opinions as to the charaoanswer to it the ~nZal'eneR had said ter and career of the Messiah,
that he was only the son of the which they held tenaciously, and
carpenter; yet they acknowledged which were not verified in .Iesus.
that on this hypothesis they could
15. whom say ye.-This is the
not account for his wisdom and his first time that .lesus furmally premighty works.
Throughout the sented to his disciples this questron.
other parts of Galilee it WIlS ad- lIe had reserved it until he had
mitted that he was something more, given them the means of forming a
but what he was more than this matured judgment. and until this
was a matter of dispute then, and judgment had ar-tunlly been formed.
it has been ever since. Concernin~
16. Simon Peter answered.Jesus alone, of all the men of his- Peter, always firAtt" speak, answers
for the whole comp,wy. His antory, hus such a question existed.
14. Some 8ay.- The different swer contains two propositions:
opinions as to who he was, tire ac- first, that Jesus was the Christ;
counted for partly by the circum- second, that he was the Son of the
stances of the men who uttered living God. The former identified
Lhem and partly by ,ne di1fp.rent him 8.11 the long-expected deliver 'ilr

144

MATI'HEW.

[xvi, 17, 18.

Thou art the Christ, the Son of jo'na: for flesh and blood hath
the living God. IT And Je'su8 not revealed it unto thee, but
answered aud said unto him, my Father which is in heaven.
Blessed art thou, Si'mon Bar- IBAnd I say also unto thee, That
of whom the prophets had written;
and the lnttsr declared him, what
the Jews had not expected their
Messiah to be, the Son of God,
This was an intelligent confession
of the w hole truth conceruing the
personal ity of Jesus,
17. Blessed art thou.- Simon
was blessed because the truth which
he had expressed and which he
believed, was his as a source of
harpin('ss, both temporal and eternru, The statement that flesh and
blood had not revealed it to him,
but God, is the proof that he was
blessed, That it was a revelation
from God, and not a discovery made
by unaided human reason, W3.8
proof that it was a blessing from
heaven,
God had revealed it
through the works and words of
Jesus,
Bar-jona.-Son
of Jona, a reflection of Peter's expression, Son
of God,
18. upon this rock.-To
what
the term ruck refers, whether to
Peter, to Christ, or to the truth
which Peter had just confessed
concerning Jesus, has been a matter
of much disputation,
In a. highly
figurative passage like this, it is
important that we take into view
all of the ima(l:eryemployed; otherwise we are likely to overlook the
significance of some parts, and to
form distorted conceptions of others,
This important consideration has
not, we think, received due attention from expositors in considering!
the present
passage,
Observe,
then, that the leading image of this
and the following verse IS that of
two opposing cities, one representing the kingdom of heaven, and the
other representing hades, The former is represented 11.8about to be

built on a rock, its builder, ~,ga.iekeeper, and its keys are mentioned,
and the assurance is given that the
gates of the latter city shall not
prevail against it, Of the former
city Jesus is the builder; Peter it
the gate-keeper, for to him the keys
are given; and the foundation on
which its walls were to be erected,
like that of Csesareu Philippi, which
was close at hand and in all probability supplied the imagery, is B
solid rock.
Xow, it is impossible, without
throwing this imagery into confusion, to make either -Iesus or Peter
the rock; for .1esus assigns to himself the position of the builder, or
chief architect, and he II.8signs K
Peter that of gate-keeper, or holder
of the keys, 'Ve can realize this
more vividly if we will suppose the
entire imagery to be thrown upon
canvas, On one side of your pieture you see the dark city of hades,
out of whose gates are pouring the
grim legions of death, led to the
assault by Satan himself. 0!1 the
other, you see a beautiful city in
process of construction, with Jesus
standin~ on a finished portion of
the wall and superintending the
labor of all the workmen, while
Peter stands at one of the gates
with the kevs in his hand, ready to
open at the '~Iaster's bidding, You
also see that this city is built on a
ledge of rock, the precipitous face
i of which is seen beneath the walls,
In gazing on this picture, and seeking to ascertain the symbolic meaning of its parts, you would never
conceive that the rock beneath the
city symbolizes either .Iesus or
Peter; for vou see them both clearly
represented in the picture and occuI pying positions altogether different.

MATTHEW.

xvi. 18.]

146

thou art Petter, and upon this rock I will build my church;

The rock, then, must represent but the solid rock on which all the
lome other object of thought in the pillars and stones of the spiritual
context, and this can be no other building are erected,
The objeothan the truth which Peter had just tion. therefore, misses its aim.
confessed concerning Je8us. This
If it be asked, why did Jesus say
truth, that he is the Christ, the Son "Thou art Peter," unless he inof the living God, is the most fun- tended to make him the rock, we
damental truth in the Christian sys.1 answer, that, like the expression
tem-it is that on which the whole Bar-jona, it was a ,"ery natural resuperstructure depends; and it is echoing of Peter's own mode of
therefore most appropriately repre- address.
Peter had said, "Thou
sen ted by the rock in the Savior's art the Christ," giving Jesus hill
picture.
official title, and the Son of the
It is objected to this interpreta- living God." Jesus answers, "Si
tion, that the name of Peter III the mon, 80n of Jona," Thou art Peoriginal means a stone (John i. 42), ter "- the symbolical name whieh
and that when Jesus says to him, had long since been /l:i"en him
"Thou art Petros (a stone), and on (John i. 42), and which referred to
this rock I will build my church," the solidity of character he was yet
the term this identifies rock with to acquire though he showed very
the stone just mentioned, or the little promise of it at present.
person of Peter. But there are
As for the eupposition that Jesus
two insuperable obstacles in the iAhimself the rock, there is nothing
way of this objection: first, after in the context to even su!!gest it.
saying, "Thou art Petros." he It is suggested by other passages in
changes the phraseology, as if for which he is called a stone or a
the very purpose of avoiding this foundation. But in those passages
meaning, and says, on this petra it will be found that the imagery is
I will build my church." If he had entirely different.
When Paul
intended to identify Peter with the says, "Other foundation can no
rock, he would have repeated the man lay than that is laid, which is
term petros, instead of introducing Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. iii. 11), the
the new term petra, which means image is not that of a city built on
a ledge of rock, while petros means a natural rock, but that of a single
a stone. Again, if he had meant building (verse 9), and of its artithat he would build on Peter, it is ficial foundation which Paul had
inconceivable that he adopted so laid.
Furthermore, the way in
unnatural a method of expressing which Paul had laid Jesus as a
the idea, instead of saying, Thou foundation in Corinth was by provart Peter, and on thee I will build ing him to be the Christ the Son of
my church."
God, so that the idea taught in this
It is urged by Alford as an objec- passage is not materially different
tion to our interpretation, that in from that in our text. When Paul
the New Testament usage, not says that the Gentiles are" built
doctrines nor confessions, but men upon the foundation of al?ostles
are uniformly the pillars and stones and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
of the spiritual building." Thiais being the chief corner-stone," the
true; but in the passage before UB image is that of a temple with the
neither the pillars nor stones of the I apostles and prophets for the layer
epiritual building are spoken of" of stones at the foundation, and

13

146

~IAITHEW.

[xvi.

19.

and the gates of hell shall not

prevail against it. 18 AmI I will
give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven: and what-

soever thou shalt bind on earth

shall be bound ill heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jesus for the chief corner-stone on

which the two walls, .Iewiah and
Gentile, mcet. and by which they
are held together.
Again, when
Jesus is represented as a stone rejeeted by the builders, but made by
God the chief stone of the corner,
the image is that of a company of
men trying to build a house, but
rejecting the only stone which had
been cut for the chief corner, and
therefore unable to go on with the
work
platt xxi. 42; Acts iv. II j
1 Pet ii. 4-7.) As the imagery in
all these pa88age~ is entirely different from that of the text, the former can not he allowed to control
in the interpretation of the latter.
We conclude, then, that the interpretation given above is without
valid objection.
gates of hell.- Not correctly
rendered hell, but hades. As we
have remarked above, hades is contcmplated as a walled city waging
war a~ainst the Church. Its gates
are made the sl,mbols of its power,
because the military forces of an
ancient eity always issued forth
from its gates, and the gates may
be considered as sending them out.
All the powers by which hades, the
place of disemhodied spirits, assails
the Church, are included in the figure, the powers of demons, of Satan,
and of death. The text is a pledge
that the Church would never be
tempted into total apostasy, nor be
dppopnlated by the death of all its
memhers
I will build.-Notice
the force
,f the future tense : not, I have
built : nor, I am building j but, "I
will build."
The entire work,
from laying the foundation on the
solid " rock," to the completion of
be superstructure, W8.8 yet in the

future. The apostles and the Xew

Testament prophets (Eph. ii. 20-iii.
5) had yet to be laid on the rock,
by being commissioned and qualified j and the corner-stone irself
had yet to be fitted and laid in its
place by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The idea of a
pre-'xistence of the Church, either
In the family of Abraham, or among
the disciples of John the Baptist, is
inconsistent with the language here
employed.
19. keys of the kingdom.As we have already remarked under
the previous verse, the promise to
give Peter the keys made him the
porter, and ~ave him the power to
open the kingdom to those who
were entitled to admission, This
office he exercised by admitting the
first .lews on the day of Pentecost,
and the first Gentiles in the house
of Cornelius. Since the ~ates were
first opened they have never been
elosed, and therefore the keys have
been used no more. The plurnl
number of the term keys has no
significance in the interpretation,
but was suggested hy the fact that
ancient cities usually had a plurality of gates r!'quirtng a plurality
of keys.
The kin~dom W8.8 not
opened to the Jews and the Gentiles
by different keys; for both were
admitted on the same terms.
bound...
loosed.-From
the
figure of the keys, the svmbol of
opening and shutting, .Te8'us/assel
to the figure of binding an loosing; but the reference is still to
admission into the kingdom.
Tc
bind represents pronouncing against
a man as unworthy of a place in
the kingdom, and to loose ill to pronounce him freed froru co.demnation. Peter would do botb hy lay

xvi. 20-23.]

~IATTHEW.

-Then charged he I his: the I disciples that they should tell no man
that he WI\.'! [Je/sus] the Christ.
I! From that time forth began
Je'sus to shew unto his disciples,
how that he must go unto Jeru/salem, and suffer many things
of the elders and chief priests
20 caw.v!la.
Omitted by Lach.,
T. 8. Green, AUord, Tregelles.
20 'I~<Tov< Bee. Omitted by Lach.,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles, N,
~, etc., a, be, N. Syrlac, Armenian,

TlBch.,
TIsch.,
B, L, x,
etc.

ing down the conditions on which

men would be admitted into the
kingdom.
Jesus could safely say
that his acts in this particular
would be ratified in heaven, because
he foreknew that Peter would be
guised in all by the Holy Spirit.
20. tell no man,-Though
the
disciples believed Jesus to be the
Christ, they had as yet but aver.,
inadequate conception of what It
was to be the Christ, and were not
yet qualified to proclaim it aright.
It was important that no misconoeption should now 1(0 abroad from
their lips which would have to be
recalled at a future day j hence the
restriction here imposed.
First Plain Prediction of His
Death,21-23. (Mllrk viii. 31-33 j
Luke ix, 22.)

21. From that time forth betran,-Jesus

began to )!;ive obscure
intimntions concerning his death at
a very early period of his ministry.
Two of these are quoted by John 8.8
having been uttered durinl1 his first
visit to Jerusalem (John ii. 19-22;
iii. 14) j one is quoted by Matthew
in his reply to the demand for a
ai~n (xii. 38-4(f); but none of
these wus understood at the time by
either friend or foe. He had wisely
postponed a plain declaration on
the subject until the faith of the
disciples had taken the definite
shape just indicated by Peter's con-

141

and scribes, and be killed, and

be raised again the third day.
n Then Pe'ter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be
it far from thee, Lord: this
shall not be unto thee. But
he turned, and said unto Pe'ter,
Get thee behind me, Sa/tan:
thou art an offense unto me: for
thou savorest not the things
that be of God, but those that
be of men.
fesaicn (verse 16), and had acquired
sufficient strength to endure the
shock which this announcement
gave.
22, Peter took him.-The
eonduct of Peter in taking Jesus aside
and rebuking him, shows how S6vere W8.8 the shock which the discipIes received from this announcement. Peter seems to have dreaded
its effect on the other disciples, Btl
well as on the world; for he thought
that such a termination
of the
career of Jesus would prove that
he W8.8 not the Christ.
In this
Peter
exemplified
the common
weakness of human judgment in
spiritual matters, and the proneness
of men, through a misguided judgment, to fight against their own best
interests.
23. behind me, Satan.-Peter
received a severer rebuke than he
administered.
It was impossible to
serve Satan more effectually than
by dissuading Jesus from the death
of which he had spoken; hence the
metaphorical application of Satan's
name to Peter.
The vehemence
with which Jesus spoke is also accounted for by the fact that he instinctively shrank from the dreaded
sacrifice, and needed encouragement in regard to it instead of dillsuaaion.
savorest
not. - Obsolete
for
thinkest not." Mr. Green hap'
pily renders the clause, Thv mind

148

MATTHEW.

"Then
said Je'sU8 unto his
disciples, If anr man will come
after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow
me. 16 For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake
shall find it. For what I is a
man: will a 100n be I profited, if
26 W4>_,\.tT4& Rtt!.
':'~d:'J9~(n'TluL&ch.,
l'iBch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregellea.

lxvi.24-28.

he shall gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul? or what
shall a man give in exchange
for his soul? IT For the Son of
man shall come in the glory of
his Father with his angels; and
then he shall reward every man
according to his works.
II Verily I say unto you, There be
some standing here, which shall
not taste of death, till they see

is not on the things of God, but verse is the same that is rendered
those of men." His mind was on life in the preceding. There the
ilie worldly conception of the Mes- sense requires it to be rendered
siah's kingdom which had been life, and as its meaning in this
adopted by men, and not on that verse is the same, life should be
conception of it which was in the the rendering here.
The sense,
mind and word of God.
I however, is the same as when rendered soul ; for it is the future and
Self-sacrifice and the Judgment, eternal life that is referred to, and
24-2iS.
(Mark viii. 34-ix. 1; to lose this is what our translators
meant by losing the soul. The 1101Luke ix. 23-27.)
emn truth here declared was most
24, deny himself and take up appropriate in this connection, behis crosa=-To deny oneself is to cause Peter's orro8itioll to his J.ord's
avoid ease or indulgence; to take death was inspired chiefly by his exup the crOS8is to endure reproach pectation that the latter would estabor dishonor in the eyes of the lish an earthly kingdom and conquer
He is tau~ht
world. The latter expression came the whole world
into use from the fact that criminals that something far more valuable
who were to be crucified carried than the whole world is to be gained
their own crosses to the place of by following Christ, even though it
execution. Peter had objected, as should involve the 108sof life.
recorded in the preceding para27. For the Son of man shall
graph, to the contemplated death come.-The fact here declared furof Jesus, and now he and his fel- nishes proof of the preceding relows are taught that not only must marks concerning the loss and gain
this be endured, but they must of life. If men are to be finally
themselves take up the cross and rewarded according to their works,
follow his example; and so must all the preceding remarks must be
true.
That the final coming of
all who would be his followers.
25. save his life shall lose it. Christ is the coming here men-In this verse there is a play on tioned is evident from the three
the two meanings of the word life, facts, that it is a coming "in the
it is to be
temporal and eternal.
Whoever, glory of his Father;"
by failing to follow Jesus, would with his holy angels;" and he is
save life in the one sense, would then to " reward every man aceordlose it in the other, and vice versa. ing to his works."
28. coming in his kingdom.
26. lose his own lIouL-The
term rendered soul (""'~q) in this -The coming to judge the world

xvii. 1.]

MAITHEW.

149

the Son of man coming in his Je'8U8 taketh Pe'ter, Jame8, and
kingdom.
John his brother, and bringeth
XVII. I And after 8ix dsya them up into an high mountain
naturally 8u~ested the mention of
another coming which waa nearer
at hand, and which also had an
important connection with the preceding conversation. If he were
destined to die at the hands of his
enemies, aa stated in the preceding
paragraph, it would appear to his
disciples that he must fail to establish the expected kingdom; but he
aasures them that notwithstanding
his contemplated death, some of
the present company would not
taste of death till they would see
him coming in his kingdom. The
expression coming in his kingQuID" means
entering formally
upon his reign as a king, which
occurred when his exaltation to the
right hand of God W&8 first proclaimed on the day of Pentecost,
and which they then saw by the
eye of faith. (See Acts ii. 33-36;
also my Commentary on Acts, i. 6.)
None but himself and Judas were
to die previous to that time; but
he intended to be indefinite about
the time, and hence the very vague
expression, There be some standing here who shall not taste of
death till they see," etc.
Some expositors understand that
the coming here mentioned took
place at the transfiguration.
But
that event took place only six days
afterward (xvii. 1); none of the
cUllil'any tasted death before its
occurrence; and Jesus was then no
more in his kingdom than at the
time of our paragraph.
Others,
~ain, refer it to the destruction of
Jerusalem;
but he came in his
kingdom long before this event,
and had already been seen in his
kingdom aa clearly aa when that
event occurred. (For a statement
of these and other opinions, lee
Lange on this verse.)

TM

xvii. 1-13.
Luke ix. 28-

Transfiguration,

(Mark ix. 2-13;

36.)

1. after six days.- Six day.

after the time of the convenation
laat mentioned.
Peter,
James,
and John.There were two objects to be considered in selecting witnesses of
the transfiguration; first, to insure
the desired secrecy (verse 9); and
second, to insure from the event
itself the best final results. On
account of the pre-eminence which
these three apostles now had and
were :yet to acquire, they were the
most likely to turn to good account
the impression which the scene
would make on themselves, and
they were probably the most likely
to keep the event a secret until the
time should come for making it
known. The present increase of
their faith would also bring an indirect advantage to the entire COlDpany, even though the others knew
not what had caused it.
into a high mountain,-The
scene of the transfiguration W&8
formerly supposed to be Mt. Tabor,
a very beautiful conical mountain
west of the lake of Galilee; but 8.8
Jesus was on his tour to Ceesarea
Philippi, which town was situated
at the base of Mt. Hermon, it is
now generally believed that the la~
tel' is the mountain mentioned in
the text. Moreover, Mt. Hermon
better corresponds to the desie;n&tion a high mountain i" for It is
the highest mountain in Palestine,
being about 10,000 feet above the
level of the sea. Its top is covered
with almost perpetual snow, and ie
visible from high points in all parts
of Ga.lilee and Judea. Some lofty
terrace on its side would ha.ve been

150

[xvii,2-5.

MATTHEW.

apart, S and was transfigured before them: and his face did
shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
S And,
behold, there appeared
unto them Mo'ses and Eli'as
talking with him. 'Then answered Pe'ter, and said unto
Je'sus, Lord, it is good for us to

be here: if thou wilt, [let us

make: I will make1 here three
tabernacles; one for thee, and
one for Mo'ses, and one for
Eli'as. While he yet spake,
behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them' and behold a voice
" . o,1f(7''-'#.'' Rec-

"'OU10'"1II,

Lach., Tisch.,

T. S. Green, Alford, N, B,C, b. etc.

in every way a suitable spot for the that men in the flesh are not pre
transflguration.
pared to judge of the fitness of
2. transfigured
before him,things in the spiritual world. In
Tran8figured means changed in all probability many of our most
form, yet the description indicates cherished conceptions of that world
only a change in the appearance of are as incongruous as that of the
his person. Though" his face did frightened Peter.
shine as the sun," we suppose that
0, 6. While he yet spake.the features maintained their nat- The scene had been witnessed long
ural form; and though his rai- enough by the disciples, and it was
ment was white as light"-that
is, abruptly terminated by the introlight reflected from some polished duction of another.
The entire
surface - we suppose it was un-I transaction, as we may safely infer
changed in other particulars.
It i from Luke's narrative, occurred in
is impossible for us to realize his the night. (Notice, that .Iesus had
appearance until we shall be like been praying until the disciples
him and see him as he is. (1 John were" heavy with sleep;" and that
iii. 2.)
they came down from the muuntain
3, Moses and Elias talking,on the next day." Luke ix. 28,
It must have been from the course 32, 37.) Out of the womb of darkof the conversation that the disci- ness had suddenly appeared the
plee learned that the visitors were three glowing forms of Jesus, ~I(}Moses and Elias; for they could ses, and Elijah, and now, while the
not have known them bv sight. disciples were trembling at that
They talked, as we learn from sight, there floats near to them out
Luke, about his decease, which he of the same darkness a cloud all
should accomplish at Jerusalem.
radiant with light like that which
4, Then answered
Peter, - shone from the face of Jesus, and
There was a divine attraction in as it begins to overhang them, they
the scene, a foretaste of heaven's hear that voice which has never yet
own ~lor'y. and no wonder that Pe- been heard by mortals except with
ter exclaimed, " It is good for us to fear and trembling, It came just
be here." But his proposition to 8.8 Peter's incongruous proposal
build tabernacles (<1,,;',,1<$, booths had escaped his lips, and it IS no
made out of branches from the wonder that the three fishermen
trees) for the three glorified per- fell on their faces and were sure
sons to dwell in, was hasty and in- afraid."
considerate. The best excuse for
This is my beloved Son.-The
it is the one given by Mark: He words uttered are a repetition of
knew not what he should lIay: for the oracle which was heard at the
they were fri(htened."
It .how. Jordan (iii. 17), with the addition

xvii. 6-12.]

MATIHEW.

161

be risen again from the dead.

And I his: the I disciples asked
him, saying, Whr, then say the
scribes that Eh'as must first
come? llAnd [Je'sus] answered
and said [unto them], Eli'as
truly shall [first] come, and restore all things. IS But I say unto

out of the cloud, which said,

This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased; hear
ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their
face, and were sore afraid.
I And Je'sus came and touched
them, and said, Arise, and be
not afraid. And when they
had lifted up their eres, they
saw no man, save Je sus only.
t And as they came down from
the mountain, Je'sus charged
them, saying, Tell the vision to
no man, until the Son of man

10

10 iTO. Bee. Omitted by Laeh.,

T. S. Green, Tregelles.
11 '1,,0".')' &c. Omitted hy Lach.,
T. S. Green, Alford. Tregelles.
11 o.VTO" Rec. Omitted by Lach.,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelle .
11 .pWTO. Ree Omitted by Lach.,
T. 8, Gree~, Alford, Tregelles, N,
22,33, ete., uld Latin, Vulgate, N.
Coptic, Sahidic, Armenian, etc.

n.ch.,
Tlach.,
TllCh.,
T'lseh,
B. D. I,
8yriac,

of the significant words, "HEAR Elias, and the disappearance of the

HIM."
This command contains the glory. When Jesus touched them
chief significunce of the entire and told them to arise, he alone was
scene. Uttered in the presence of before them, and he was there in
MOS!'R
the lawgiver, and of Elijah his natural appearance.
the prophet, it meant that Jesus
9, Tell the vision to no man.
should be heard in preference to -To
have puhlished abroad the
the law and the prophets. In the vision could at that time have done
exalted pre-eminence thus bestowed i no good; for the people would hava
on Jesus, accompanied by a change, discredited the story and would
of his appearance harmonious with have reflected adversely on the vethe glory of his position, his divine racity of the three disciples. But
majesty was displayed in a manner to lock up the secret in the breasts
never witnessed orr earth before or of these three was to cause them to
since.
Peter afterward presented reflect on it much and to converse
this view of the transaction, when with one another about it often.
he wrote, "We followed not cun- Furthermore, the more intensely
ningly devised fables when we and the longer it burned within
made known to you the power and them as a secret, the more joyously
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, would they speak of it when the
but were eye-witnesses of his maj- proper time arrived, and their own
/!sty.
For he received from God miraculous powers rendered credit!:.~ Father honor and glory, when ble all that they said of it. That
there came such a voice to him they told it then is evident not only
from the excellent glory, This is from Peter's words above quoted,
my beloved Son, in whom I am well but from its being recorded by Matr
pleased.
And this voice which thew, Mark, and Luke, none of
came from heaven we heard when whom were witnesses of the event,
we were with him in the holy and all of whom wrote before the
mount." (2 Pet. i, 16-18.)
publication of Peter's epistle.
7, 8, they saw no man.-Their
10-13.
the disciples asked
prostration when they heard the him,- Expectin~ a literal fulfillvoice of God prevented them from ment of Ma.lachi s well known prel&ding the departure of MOllel and diction concerning the coming of

152

MATTHEW.

you, That Eli'as is come already,

and they knew him not, but
have done unto him whatsoever
they listed. Likewise shall also
the Son of man suffer of them.
Then the disciples understood
that he spake unto them of John
the Baptist.
., And when thev were come
to the multitude, there came to
him a certain man, kneeling

[xvii. 13-17.

I down to him, and saying, U Lord,

have mercy on my son: for he
is lunatic, and sore vexed: for
ofttimes he falleth into the fire,
and oft into the water. And
I brought him to thy disciples,
and they could not cure him.
"Then Je'sus answered and said,
0 faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with
you? how long shall I suffer

Elijah (Mal. iv. 5. 6), the disciples

were surprised that when he appeared on the mountain he did not remain to do the work predicted of him;
hence their question . Jesus teaches
them n second time that Malachi
used the name Elijah figuratively
to represent John the Baptist. (12,
13. Compo note on xi. 14.)

caused by the moon. On the contrary, as we learn from Mark's

account, the father believed, as our
text represents (18), that thc aflliction was caused by a demon. The
failure of the disciples to cast out
the demon increased the distress
and unxiety of the father llS he
came to Jesus and kneeled down
before him with his petition.
All
Obstinate Demon Cast Out,
17. 0 faithless and perverse.
14-~1. (Mark ix. 14-29; Luke
-This
lamentation. showing that
ix. 37-43.)
Jesus had become wearied and sad14. to the multitude.-From
dened by the constant manifestathe cxprcs-ion "When they were tions of insufficient faith among his
come to the multitude," we infer disciples. was not addressed to the
that ,J esus and the three had left a father of the vouth, hut to the dismultitude when they went into the ciplcs and the multitude.
Some
mountain. and that they now re- infidel writers have represented
turn to the same.
thi8 speech as a manifestation of
14-16. have mercy on my son. impatience 11Ildirritation inconaist-The
father's description repre- ent with the perfection of character
sents the son 8.8 a lunatic subject to ascribed to -Iesus. If it were true
fits.
The tcrm lunatic (moon- that the speech exhibits impatience
struck), and the Greek word which and irritation. it would still be a
it here represents (aE).~v,a.(",), came question whether these feelings.
into U8e from the superstitious be- kept under proper restraint. are
lief that the affliction was caused inconsistent with a perfcct human
by a malign influence of the moon; character
The rebuke itself wna
and this Idea arose from the fact certainly just. and. under the eirthat in some cuses of insanit,Y the cumstances, altogether proper; then
symptoms va.ry at monthly inter- why should thc feeling which natvals. But although the term origi- urally accompnnies such a rebuke.
nated in this way. it is applied in be improper?
The perfection of
usage to all kinds of insane per- human character consrsta not in the
eons; consequently we can not infer impassiveness of a statue, but in
from its use in this case that the the just and harmonious exercise
young man's insanity wasleriodic, I of all the emotions which belong to
or that his father 8uppose it to be our nature.

xvU. 18-23.]

MATTHEW.

153

of mustard seed, ye shall say

unto this mountain, Remove
hence to yonder llace;
and it
shall remove; an nothing shall
be impossible unto you. II Howbeit this kind goeth not out but
by prayer and fasting.
And while they abode in
Gal'ilee, Je'sus said unto them,
The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
and they shall kill him, and
the third day he shall be raised

,ou? bring him hither to me.

And Jesus rebuked the devil ;
and he departed out of him:
and the child was cured from
that very hour. l' Then came
the disciples to Je'sus apart, and
said, \Vby could not we cast
him out? to And [Je'sus] said
unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto
you, If ye have faith as a grain
20 'I~CToii.&0. OmItted by Lach., TIsch.,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

18. the child was cured,-The

of failure, we understand that the
unsuccessful attempt of the disci- prayer and fasting would be effectples argues nothing against the ive, not by impartin~ directly the
miraculous powers of .Iesus. seein~ power in question, but by intensifythat the demon departed immedi- mg their faith, and thus enabling
ately when commanded by him. It them to fully exert the power which
proves only that the disciples did had been imparted to them. That
not at this time fully exert the "thi kind" g:oes not out hut b'y
power over demons which Jesu", prayer and fastiug, shows that It
had imparted to them.
waa more difficult to (,Mt out this
19, 20, Because of your unbe- kind than some other kinds. Delief.-l n order to work a miracle it mons, like spirits in the flesh, are
was necessary not only to have a characterized by different degrees
miraculous endowment, but also to of will-force, and the one in quP~exercise faith. This is declared in tion was an obstinate demon. (:-;"e
the Savior's answer, and it had al- the parallel in Mark. where the
ready been indicated to the diaci- account is more circumstantial.)
ples Itt the time of Peter's attempt S
to walk on the water, (xiv. 31.)
econd Prediction of His Death,
The faith in question was the belief
22, 23. (Mark ix. 30-32; Luke
that what WWl commanded would be
ix. 43-45.)
done - faith in the power with
22, while they abode.-While
which they were endued. When they were yet abiding in Galilee,
they ~:rokedoubtingly to the demon subsequent to the transfiguration.
he ha power to resist them.
and before their departure into .Iufaith as. a grain of mustard
dea. A~ain, WI on the first occasion
seed -Faith
comparnble to a mus- (see note on xvi. 21), Jesus makes
turd seed is very weak faith; and the discouraging announcement of
if tlns would enable them to remove his death at a time when their faith
this mountain" (the loftv Mt. I in him was in liveliest exercise.
Hermon). how weak must he the Three of them had just witnessed
faith thev had exercised I This re- , his transfiguration, and all had seen
mark added a rebuke to the el[Pla-i a demon, whom they could not cast
nation.
out, depart promptly nt his com21. by prayer and fasting.mand.
A. weakness of faith was thA noint I '23. exceeding sorry.-The
ef
1

MAITHEW.

154

[xvii. 24.

again. And they were exceed"' And when they were come
to Caper'naum, they that reing sorry.
fect of the second prediction W88
quite different from that of the first.
Then Peter rebuked his master,
and uttered an expression of incredulity (xvi .. 21-23); but no~ they
were exceedmgly sorry. Their sorrow arose partly from the dishcart-I'
ening thought of his death, and
partly, no doubt, from the fact that
he persisted in repeating an announcemen~ which they knew not
how to credit.
ARGUlIENT

OF SEOTION

12.

self-sacrifice; while the vision of

the transfiguration at once displayed
his divine majesty, and proclaimed
him the supreme lawgiver and the
prophet of prophets.
Matthew here brings to a cloae
his account of the public career of
Jesus in Galilee, reserving for the
next and last section of this general
division of his narrative ouly a
private conversation between him
and his disciples.
We think tha'
the reader who will carefully review the arguments of the several
sections will realize that they present an array of evidence that could
not be honestly resisted; and that
the Galilcans who had seen them
all, but still refused to believe and
repent, most richly deserved the
woes that Jesus uttered against
them.
And if the sentence pronounced on them W8.8 just, what
shall be said of those in our day
who repent not though they see all
that the Galileans saw, and all vet
to be related by Matthew and the
other New Testament
historians,
and see all in the light which the
accumulating evidence of centuries
h8.8 thrown upon them?
How
shall we escape if we neglect 10
great IIIl.lvation?"

We have now reached the close

of the tour to Ceesareu Philippi;
for the first verse of the next para~raph (verse 24) locates Jesue again
In Capernaum.
The histor;y of this
tour and of the one to 1yre and
Sidon, contains proofs of the claims
of .Iesus not only conclusive but
overwhelming.
The easting out of
two demons, one from the girl near
Tyre and Sidon, and the other from
a boy at the foot of Mt. Hermon,
the innumerable cures at the lake
shore, and the feeding of four thousand hungry men with seven barley
loaves and a few little fishes, have
once more exhibited
his divine
power; while his compassion for the
woman of Canaan, and his unwillingness to send the four thousand away
hungering,
have exhibited
once
SECTION xm.
more his goodness. It is also shown,
by the conversation at Ceesarea CLOSING ScENE8 IN GALILBB, XVII.
24-X VI II. 35.
Philippi, that no one in Galilee,
not even his enemies, counted him The Temple Trlbnte. xvII. 24-27i About
Who shall be Greatest,
XVIII. 1-9;
less than a prophet, while his immeAgainst Desplstng
a Disciple. 1~14;
diate attcndanta, who had the best
How to Deal with
an Otrendloll
Broth r, 1l)...:1l);The Duty ot l"orglveopportunity for judging, had reached
ness, :Ll-85.
the assured conviction that he W8.8
the Christ, the Son of the living
God. The two predictions of his The Temple Tribute, xvii. 24-27
own death proved his divine fore24. Doth not your master
knowledge, and hia coneciousnees
of being engaged in a JDiuion of pay. - The question of the col-

xvii. 25-xviii. 1.]

MATI'HEW.

ceived tribute money came to

Pe'ter, and said, Doth not your
master pay tribute? He saith,
Yes. And when he was come
into the house, Je'sus prevented
him, saying, What thinkest thou,
Simon? of whom do the kings of
the earth take custom or tribute?
of their own children, or of
strangers? 18 [Pe/ter 1saith unto
him, Of strangers. :re'sus saith
26 UITPO< Reo.
OmItted
by Lach .
T1Ich . T. 8. Green. Alford. Tregelle&

lectors implies that the tribute W8.11

not compulsory, but voluntary; and
that consequently it W8.11 not the
Roman poll-tax, for it W8.11 compul80~. (See further below, on 25,
26.

5. Jesus prevented him.-The

word prevent has here its primary,
but now obsolete sense.
Derived
from the Latin prevenio, to go before, or to precede, it means here
to anticipate.
From the fact that
you get before a man to hinder
him. the word acquired the sense
in which it is now currently useda sense which it has acquired since
our English translation W8.11 made.
Every-where in the Bible it means
to precede, or to anticipate.
25, 26. of whom do the kings.
-The
argument is this: As the
kings of the earth take tribute
from strangers. and not from their
own children. so I, being a Son of
the King for whom this tribute i8
collected. should be free from paying it. It is clear from this argument that it was the Jewish temple
tribute which W8.11 in question j for
the force of the argument depends
on the aS8umption that Jesus WI1.8 a
80n uf the king for whom the tribute was collected. (For an account
oC this tribute, see 2 Chron, xxiv.
5,6; Ex. xxx. 12-16.)
leat we offend them.-Ba.s-

a7.

155

unto him, Then are the children

free.
17 Notwithstanding,
lest
we should offend them, go thou
to the sea, and cast an hook,
and take up the fish that first
cometh up; and when thou
hast opened his mouth, thou
shalt find a piece of money.
that take, and give unto them
for me and thee.
XVIII. I At the same time
came the disciples unto Je'sus,
saying, Who is the greatest in
ing his compliance now on the
ground of expediency, and not on
that of absolute right, Jesus tells
Peter how to get the money, and
directs him to pay it. When the
hook was cast and almost instantly
brought up a fish with a piece of
money of the required value in its
mouth, Peter saw another proof
that Jesus was truly the son of the
king for whom the tribute was demanded.
His foreknowledge that
Peter would catch the fish. and his
power in putting the coin there
were both exhibited.
piece of money.-The
Greek
word (II1'G1",,!p) is indefinitely translated, because the value of the coin
would not be known to the common
English reader from its name. It
was the Attic stater, about equal to
the Jewish shekel and to the American half-dollar.
A8 this paid for
Peter and Jesus both, the amouns
of the tribute for each person was
the same that had been prescribed
by Moses - a half-shekel.
(Ex.
xxx. 13.)
About Who IIhall be Greate&t, xviii,
1-9. (Mark ix. 33-37; Luke ix.
46-50.

1. Who is the greatest.-Theform in which Mattliew quotes the

question of the disciples, would
leave it uncertain whether they

156

l\U'rl'HEW.

[xviii,

2-7.

the kingdom of heaven?

I And
Je'sus called a little child unto
him, and set him in the midst
of them, and said, Verily I say
unto you, Except ye be converted, and become lUI little
children, ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven. 'Whosoever therefore shall humble
himself lUI this little child, the
same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I And
whoso shall receive one such lit-

tie child in my name receiveth

me.
But whoso shall offend
one of these little ones which
believe in me, it were better for
him that a millstone were hanged
about his neck, and that he were
drowned in the depth of the
sea. 'Woe unto the world because of offenses I for it must.
needs be that offenses come; but
woe to 1 that: the 1 man by whom

meant which person, or what charscter, would be greatest in the kingdom; but trom a reference to the
same question made by Luke (Uii.
24), we learn that the former was1
their meaning. In his answer JeBIIS takes the question in the other
sense, and tells them the character
which would be greatest.
2-4. Except ye be converted.
-Except ye be turnt:d. (See note
on xiii. ] 5.) The expression hD.8referenee, not to turnm~ from ain in
general, but to turnmg from the
particular sin of personal ambition
which had exposed itself in their
question.
The little child was
placed in their midst, and made
their model in this particular because of its well known freedom
from this passion. The humblest
shall be the greatest because they
will live the most unselfishly and
be the most like Jesus.
5. one such little child.-The
term" such" is not used to distinguish this particular child from
others; for all little children are
alike in the particular referred to,
and this was indicated in the preceding words, "become as little
children;" but" such" is used to
limit the term child to the character who has become like a little
child. The remark, then, haa no
reference to receiving little children,
but to receiving those who have

become like little children in their

freedom from personal ambition.
In the next verse the same charaoter is designated as "one of these
little ones that believe in me."
6. whoso shall offend.-Whether we render the original (axcw~a.).<,
) offend,
or ellSilare, the
thought is practically the same.
Contentions as to ...,ho shall be
greatest always give otfeuse, and at
the same time, by exciting evil passions, they ensnare theJ,ersolls engaged in them. Jesus eaired that
his disciples should see this tendency of their discussion, and to
show how fearful the final result
would be to the offender, he assures
them that it were Letter for such
to have a millstone hung about his
neck, and to be CU8tinto the sea. It
were better, because his actual fate
will be worse than tlmt. (Comp.
8,9.)
7. Woe unto the world.-By a
natural transition Jesus here paeses
from the particular cause of offense
under consideration, to "ifl'lIses in
general. "It must needs be that nffenses come," not because it ill the
will of God that they should come,
but because the deprav ity of men
makes them inevitable.
For this
reason he udds, "Woe to the
man by whom the "fl'ense cometh:'
~o man should look for the day
when there will be Ill) 0!fen8e11.

7 f'dY~ Rec.

Green,'1 regellea.

Omitted by Lach., T.8.

xviii. 8-11.]

157

MATTHEW.

the offense cometh!

Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast
them from thee: it is better for
thee to enter into life halt or
maimed, rather
than
having
two hands or two feet to be cast
into everlasting fire. And if
thine eye .offend thee, pluck it
out, and cast it from thee: it is
better for thee to enter into life
with one eye, rather than hav-

ing two eyes to be east into hell

fire.
10 Take
heed that ye despise
not one of these little ones; for
I say unto you, That ill heaven
their angels do always behold
the face of my Father which is
in heaven.
11 [For
the Son of
man is come to save that which
11 Omitted

TregellCII,
I't

hldlo, Coptic,

by Lach., Tisch, T. S. Green,

B, 1., I, 18, 33, H. Syriac, 8a-

etc.

but each should see to it that he is life, than to be cast into that
not the cause of them.
fire.
8. if thy hand or thy foot.-.
D
The hand and the foot in this verse, .against
espisinf. a Disciple,
and the eye in the next, are used as
10-1 .
symbols of those desires by which
10. that ye despise not.-T(
a man is caused to offend, or is en- despise ("cu'~pOl' ) is not to hate,
snared.
As the original term but to regard with contempt. We
(""a.~8a.),1',,) has in it both the idea are not likely to so regard any bnt
of ensnnring so as to cause a fall, those who have sinned or who are
and of offending ns a result of the supposed to have sinned, and the ref.
ensnnrinz, -Iesus uses it in this erence, as the context below more
connection sometime" with the one clearly shows (12-14), is to such
idea more prominent, and some- disciples.
times with the other. The former
their angels.-This
expression
is the prominent idea here. We shows that the little ones" in
are taught that it is better to deny question have angels which are in
ourselves all the gratification which some sense theirs. All the angels
the indulgence of those desires I are ministering spirits sent forth
would give, even if the denial to minister for them who shall be
should be as painful as the loss of heirs of salvation;" but this gena limb or an eye, than to suffer the eral ministration i8 effected by a
consequences of indulgence.
ministration for particular individ8, 9. everlasting fire .. hell uals.
"Their angels," then, are
fire. - These two expressions are the angels especially charged with
here unquestionably used as equiv- ministering to them individually.
alenta, Being cast into hell fire, The fact stated of these angels is
or everlasting fire, is made the al- that "they do alwaJs behold the
ternative of entering into life. The face of the Father In heaven "-a
life referred to can not be physical fact whieh shows the efficiency of
life, nor spiritual life, for the disci- their guardianship, seeing that in
plea had alreadv entered into both addition to their own power they
of these; it muat, then, be eternal have access to the helping power
life, and the alternative, being cast of God, The fact that these weak disinto hell fire, must mean, being ciples have such angels to watch over
consigned to eternal punishment. them, makes it exceedingly pre poeFar better to undergo all conceive- terous that we should despise them.
~le self-denial and luffering in thi.
11. For the Son of man.-Here

1i';8

MATTHEW.

was lost.] 11 How think ye? if

a man have an hundred sheep,
and one of them btl gone astray,
doth he not leave the ninety
and nine, awl goeth into the
mountains, and seeketh that
which is gone astray? 11 And
if so be that he find it, verily I
say unto you, he rejoiceth more
of that sheep, than of the ninety

[xviii. 12-15.

and nine which went not astray.

Even so it is not the will of
your Father which is in heaven,
I that one of these little ones
should perish.
I 16 Moreover if thy brother
shall trespass against thee, go
and tell him his fault between
I thee and him alone; if he shall
I hear thee, thou hast gained thy
l'

is another good reason for not de.: More correctly rendered . 1$0 and
spising an erring disciple; but it is : ("'-'Y''''' <W'I'IW) rebuke him.
The
omitted from the text by tlte critics. character of the rebuke .~ indicated
manuscripts and versions mentioned by the object of it. which is to gain
in the Critical note. It was doubt- the brother.
lie is supposed to
less copied from Luke xix. 10, where have committed that sin which is
it is )!enuine.
described above (verst' 6) 11.8being
12-14. Even so.-This
parable worse than to have a millstone
illustrates and enforces the lesson , about the neck, and to he cast into
in hand. As it is not the will of I the sea; and he is therefore lost.
the shepherd that one stray sheep for the time at least. to duty and to
should perish, even so it is not the friendship: the object of the rebuke
will of God that an erring disciple is to win him hack to both. 01,shall perish.
And now, if the serve. too, that it is not, as men are
shepherd does not despise the fool- inclined to have it, the offender, out
ish sheep, and leave it to perish the offended who must go, True,
because it has gone astray, and if it is elsewhere made the duty of all
God does not despise the erring dis- offender, when he remembers that
oiple, why should we despise him? his brother has aught against him,
On the one hand, the disciple is of to go and be reconciled to his
much more value than a sheep, and, brothel' (v. 23, 24); hut according
on the other, God against wh-im he to the teaching of the present pnrhas sinned could much more prop- agraph, the offended is not to w.iit
erly despise him than we who are for this.
The offender has fallen
80 much like him.
into sin, and withou~ help he may
]I,
t D l 'th
011'.
d'
never recover from It. You, who
ow 0 Bea thW1 15a~O .u en mg have not sinned. but have only been
ro er, -~.
sinned against, have an opportunity
15. trespass against thee.- to save him, and you may thus. be
The word rendered trespass (a,ua.p. like the shepherd of the preceding
'I'~0''1) means to .~in; a.nd the clause paragraph-you
may avoid the sin
should he rendered, "If thy brother of despising an erring disciple.
It
sin against thee."
In the former is well abo to observe that tl-e time,
part of the discourse -Iesus had place and circumstances of going
warned the disciples against giving i to the offending brother are not
offense, or in any way mistreating
specified, hut must, like the matter
a brother; now he tells them how and manner of the rebuke be
to proceed when a brother ains chosen with reference to the one
19a1Dst them.
purpose of gaining the brother.
go and tell him his fault.- Gu at a time, and select a place,

I
I

xviii. 16-18.]

MATIHEW.

159

brother. 11 But if he will not

hear thee, then take with thee
one or two more, that in the
mouth of two or three witnesses
every word may be established.
It And if he shall neglect to hear
them, tell it uuto the church:

but if he neglect to hear the

church, let him be unto thee as
an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven: and
whatsoever ye shall loose on

and seek for other surroundings,

which are most favorable to success
in vour effort.
16. one or two more.-The one
or two more are to be taken primarily for the same purpose with
which you at first went aloue-e-the
purpose of gllining the brother.
This is implied in the scope of the
context. But secondarily, in case
of a failure, the one or two may serve
&8 witnesses of all that passed between the parties.

established in the coming kingdom,

and to these they necessnrily referred the word church, which
means an assembly.
as a heathen man and a pub1ican.-Not
as a heathen and a publican W88 to the un believing .J ew. but
as such characters are to a Christian
In other words, when a man whe
has sinned against his brother refuses to hear the Church. he is to
be treated as we properly treat
heathen men and publicans, or
men of wicked habits. We have
known persons to express a doubt
whether this implies an exclusion
of the sinning party from the fellowship of the Church; but to deny
that it does would involve a great
absurdity.
It would require the
offended party to live in the Church
with a man whom he justly treat.
88 though he were a heathen and 8
publican; and it would require the
Church to hold in her fellowship
men who are rightly so treated by
her own members. Surely if hell.
then men and impenitent publican.
are to be kept out of the Church
disciples who deserve to be treated
by their brethren as heathen and
publicans, must be cut off from the
Church.
18. Whatsoever
s shall bind.
-The bindinz and loosing of this
verse must be 'limited by the subject
of the context, which is the proper
treatment of offenders. Binding i,
toileinfliction of the penalty of nonfellowship, while loosing is withholding it or removin~ it in CasCH
of
penitence.
The promise is that
whatsoever the apoetlea should thus

17. tell it to thechurch.-Only

when both of the preceding steps

shall have been taken and found ineffectual, is the sin to bc reported
to the Church. Then, as is implied
in the words" if he shall neglect
to hear the Church," the Church is
to speak. But a church can speak
only through her spokesmen, her
officials appointed for the purpose;
consequently, the action of the
Church's disciplinary officers is here
implied.
This rule of procedure is given
only for cases of personal offense,
where one individual hns sinned
against another. \\' e are to learn
from other portions of the New
Testament how to deal with offenses
of other kinds.
The Church is here spoken of
before it had an actual existence,
because the Savior WIJ.8 giving preparatory instruction and was compelled, IJ.8 in many other instances,
to speak by anticipation.
The disciples. at the time, had but an imperfect conception of the Church,
but the'y knew that worshiping 1\8tembliell 'If some kind would be

160

[xviii, 19-25.

MATTHEW.

earth shall be loosed in heaven.

It Again
I say unto you, That if
two of you shall a~ree on earth
as touching any thing that they
shall ask, it shall be done for
them of my Father which is in
heaven.
10 For
where two or
three are gathered together in
my name, there am I in the
midst of them.
n Then came Pe'ter to him,
and said, Lord, how oft shall
my brother sin against me, and
I forgive him? till seven times?

n Je'sus saith unto him, I say

not unto thee, Until seven times:
but, Until seventy times seven.
Therefore is the kingdom of
heaven likened unto a certain
king, which would take account
of' his servants.
"Ami when he
had begun to reckon, one was
brought unto him, which owed
him ten thousand talents. 16 But
forasmuch
as he had not to
pay, his: the lord commanded

bind or loose would be bound or

loosed in heaven j and it follows,
that whatsoever the Church now
binds and looses in accordance with
apostolic precept and precedent is
also bound and loosed in heaven. It
is from this promise that the act of
excommunication derives its peculiar solemnity and its fearful effects.
19. if two of rou.-The
promise here made is necessarily limited, like all other promises of the
kind, by the well understood condition that the thing for which we ask
shall be in accordance with the will
of God. (See note on vii. 1,8.)
20. there am I.-This statement
confirms the promise that the prayers of any two of them would be
answered, and at the same time it
gives us the comforting assurance
of the Savior's presence whenever
we meet in his name.

means certain, that this number

had been suggested by some of the
Jewish teachers of tradition.
22. seventy times seven.This is a play on the word seven
in Peter's question, and means that
there is to be no numerical limitation of the forgiveness enjoined.
23. unto a certain king.-In
the comparison which now follows,
the kingdom of heaven, as the context shows, is contemplated with
regard to the duty of forgiveness,
and it is like the king only in this
respect, that the administrution of
its affairs is, in the particular under
consideration, analogous to the
king's administration in the given
case.
24. ten thousand talents.-As
a .lewish talent was equal to about
$1600 of our American coin, ten
thousand talents were equal to
$16,000,000. This enormous amount
is given in the parable in order to
represent the debtor 11.8 in a hopeless condition.
25. to be sold.-The
law of
Moses tolerated the selling of men
for debt. (Lev. :nv. 39, 41 j 2 Ke.
iv. 1.) It seems from verse 30 that
in the Savior's time imprisonment
WIl.8 also employed, and the latter
penalty for insolvency has been
continued among the most enlight-

The Duty of Forgivenes8, 21-35.

21. Lord, how oft.-Peter saw

clearly tha~ the rules just given
would require on our part a large
amount of forbearance and forgiveness, and he naturally inquired how
many times he should forgive a
brother who would sin against him.
He seems to have thought that
seven times would be often enough.
It is highly probable, though by DO

25 "VTOU Ree, Omitted

Green, Alford, Tregellea.

by Tisch . T. B.

xviii. 26-33.]

MArrHEW.

him to be sold, and his wife,

and children, and all that he
had, and payment to be made.
III The
servant
therefore fell
down, and worshiped him, saying, [1.ord1, have patience with
me, and
will pay thee all.
JT Then the lord
of that servant
was moved with compassion,
and loosed him, and for;,;aw him
the debt. But the same SCI'\,ant went out, and found one of
his fellow-servants, which owed
him an hundred pence: and he
laid hands on him, and took him
by the throat, saying, Pay [mel
that thou owest, Ifj And his fef-

26 K';p" Rec. Omlttcd by Lach., Ttsoh.,

r. fl. Green, A lford, Tregelles
2R "0' Rec, Omlttcd by Lach, 'I'isch., T.
,;. lit een, Alford, Tregel les,

161

i low-servant

fell down [at his

feet], and besought him, saying,
Have patience with me, and I
will pay thee [all]. And he
would not: but went and cast
him into prison, till he should
pay the debt. II So when his
fellow-eervants saw what was
dr-ne, they were very sorry, and
came and told unto their lord
all that was done.
IS Then
h is
lord, after that he had called
him, said unto him, 0 thou
wicked servant, I forgave thee
all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Ushouldest not thou

29 flf TOV( ft"o~a( I1VTOV Ra. Omitted by

Lach, T. S. Green, Tregelles, K. B, C, D. L,
A, etc., Old Latin, Vulgate, N. Syrillc, S
h id rc.
29 ".oiVTa Rec. Omitted by TIsch, T. 8.
Green, Alford, Trcgcltes,

encd nations until a very recent knowing that the poor follow had
date. It is only within tho present no money, yet all the time I'xeluiwcentury that it has been abolished ing, " Po'y in!' thnt thou owi-st."
in the various States of our own
29, 30. into prison.e- To IJP eo"!
C'nion.
into prison WOS!l more hopeless aTHI
26, 27, I will pay thee all,painful fate than to be sold into
Of course it was imposs ihle for the alaverv : so that the creditor inr(lI)r man to poy such a debt, but flicted' a severer puu ishmcnt Oil h i~
the promise indicated a right pur- i fellow-servant for the sak of fiftr-r-u
pose and a strong will, and excited, dollars, than h is own muster had
til!' compassion of the king to such I threatened to inflict on him for tit!'
B degree
that he forguve him the I sak P of sixte en m ill ions : and I,t' did
entire debt.
this whil e Ii-ten iuj; to the same hum23. a hundred pence, - The bIt' entreaties hy which he had excoin here mentioned I. the Roman citr-d hi. muster s compassion.
denarius, which was ('<{uulto fifteen
31. when his fellow-servants.
cents of our moncv.
The fpllow- I -The fellow-servants acted a verv

servnut's debt, then, WDR only fifteen I natural part; for no matter h(1W
dollars.
I much
we are inclined to deu I
took him by the throat.-The
harshly with men ourselves, we are
descriptiou is vr-rv /!raphic. The always indignant, when, as d isintr rdebtor, rendered timid It, his ina- ested witnr-sses. we behold such
hility to pay, benrs pntiontly every conduct in orlu-rs.
abuse, while the crcedv creditor
32, 33, Sho ul dest thou net alfirst lays hands on hiui as if to 80.- 'Yhile the mnn was dt'a!ir,g
shake the money out f him, and with his fellow-servant. he wns f rthen seizes him by the throat as if; getl'nl of the king's kindness to 111m
10 choke it out of him, all the time, under similar circunisrn nces, or he

14

162

MATTHEW.

also have had compassion on thy!

fellow-servant, even as I had
pity on thee? And his lord
was wroth, and delivered him to
the tormentors, till he should
~ay all that was due unto him.
So likewise shall my heavenly
remembered it only to congratulate
himself on his good fortune. He is
now reminded of his base ingratitude, and of his obligation to do as
he would be done by.
34. to the tormentors. - The
kinp: W!l.8 now in a rage, as well he
might be. He recalls his past forgiveness of the debt. and commands,
not as formerly, that the man and
his family shail be sold, but that he
shall be tormented until payment
is made. This was equivalent to
tormenting him to death; for it was
impossible at best for the man to
procure 80 much money, and especially when confined in the hands
of the tormentors.
35. So likewise.-The
comparison has reference only to the last
nct of the king, that of delivering
the unforgiving servant to the tormentors. The heavenly Father will
80 deliver all disciples who do not
from their hearts f"rp:ive their offending brethren.
This is the chief
lesson of the parahle ; but in order
to reach this lesson the Savior had
depicted to his hearers, by the conduct of the king and that of the
unforgiving servant, God's forbearance toward us and our severity toward one another. Our sins against
God, for which we can make no reparation, and which are freely forgiven us, are like the ten thousand
talents, while the sins committed
against us, which we are so unwilling to forgive, are like the fifteen
dollars.
'I'his is a truthful representation of human habits, and at
the same time a cutting satire on
Pe~r'~ idea of forgiveneBB.

[xvlii, 34,

ss.

Father do also unto you, if ye

from your hearts forgive not every one his brother [their trespasses].
35 Tel. 1I'apa.trTWloi-4T4
a.irr';'l' Rec. 0ul1tt.ed
by Lach., Tisch., T. S. Green, AUord, ~
gelles, N, B. D. L. 1, 22, etc., N. 8yrIac, Coptic, Sahidic, JEthloplc, etc.

Weare
not to infer, from the
fact that tho king retracted the forgiveness first granted, that God will
do so with us. Our sins, once forgiven, are remembered no more.
(Heb. viii. 12.) This, then, is not
a si~nificant part of the parable,
but It is introduced because it iil
what a heathen king under such
circumstances would be likely to do,
and Jesus paints the picture true to
life. It is nevertheless true, that if
a man, once delivered from sin,
turn back to it again, hill condition
is made worse than if his furmer
sins had not been forgiven. (2 Pet.
ii. 2{}-22.)
AXGUlIENT

OF SECTION

13.

In this section there is not tho

usual amount of argument for the
claims of Jesus; yet the manner in
which he procured money for the
temple tribute exhibited both his
divine power and hill foreknowledge; and the discourse which fills
the eighteen th chapter is replete
with wisdom suited to his exulted
pretensions.
Such lessons on the
subject of ambition (1-9); on the
subject of sympathy and care for
the erring (I (}-14); on the right
method of dealing with offenders
(15-20); and on the duty of forgiveness (21-35), had never before been
taught, nor have subsequent f!ener
ations been able to discover a defect
in them or to suzgest an improvement on them. Besides accomplishing the logical purpos" of the section, our author has placed these
divine Ieesons on record for the

xix. 1-3.]

MATTHEW.

guidanoe of disoiples in all agel.

Thill, indeed, .eems to have been
the leading objeot of the aeotion ;
and eternity alone will be aple to

163

or

reveal the amount

good which
will have accrued to the Churoh
from this lingle diecoarse of the
Great Teacher.

PART THIRD.
JUNISTRY OF JESUS IN PEREA AND JUDEA..

CHAPTERS
XIX. I And it came to pass,
that when Je'su8 had finished
these sayings, he departed from
Gal'ilee, and came into the coasts

PB1UU.,

XX. 16.

of Judse'a beyond Jor' dan; I and

great multitudes followed him;
and he healed them there. I The
Phar'isees also came unto him,
coasts of Judea beyond Jor-

SECTION I.
CoNVBJl8ATIONI! IN

XIX-XXVIII.

XIX.I-

Convel'llatlon about Divorce, xix. 1-12;

About LIttle Children, 13-16; With a
Rich Man, 16-22; About the Salvation of RI('b Men, 23-27; About Sacrifices for Jesus, 27-<10;Parable of the
Laborers In tbe Vineyard,
xx. 1-16.

dan.-The
Jewish territory beyond
the Jordan WIlo8 called Perea, from
r. "'pa.,a., the region beyond. It ill
here called the coasts (~p1G., borders)
of Judea because, though not str ictly a part of Judea, it belonged to it
somewhat 1108 the Territories of the
United Stutes belong to the Stutes.

2. he healed them there.-The

Dieorce, xix.
(Mark:l.. 1-12.)

ClInlle1'8ation about

1-12.

1. departed

from

Galilee.-

This is the final departure of Jesus

from Galilee. He returned thither
no more until after his resurrection from the dead, when he suddenly appeared to his disciples
there on two occasions. (See xxvi ii.
16, 17; John xxi, 1.) lIe hud made
one visit to Jerusalem during his
ministry in Galilee, which is not
recorded by Matthew, nor by Mark,
or Luke. (See John v. 1.) He had
labored in Galilee about twenty-two
monthe.

healing continues, but in the remainder of the narrative Matthew

speaks of it in more general
terms, and devotes less space than
formerly to describing individual
cases.

3. The Pharisees _... tempting him.-Testing

him 1108 to his

fealty to the law of Moses and as to

his own consistency. They thought
that they could compel him to contradict either his own former teaching on the subject of divorce (v. 32),
or the law of M08e~; hence their
question, "Is it lawful for a man
to put away his wife for every
cause?" By every cause they meanl

164

MATTHEW.

tempting him, and saying [unto

him], Is it lawful for a man to
put away his wife for every
cause?
And he answered and
said [unto them], Have ye not
read, that he which made them
at the beginuing
made them
male and female, I and said,
For this cause shall a man leave
father and mother,
and shall

4.n-,;;

8
R. Omitted by Lach., TlBch.,
T. S. Green. Alford. Tregelles.
4 4,',TO'. R. Omitted by Lach., TIsch.,
T. S. Green, Alford. Tregelles.

every cause which was satisfactory

to the husband.
4-6. he answered.-The
argument containcd in his answer presenta the following premises and
conclusions: First, in the beginning God mad" a male and a female,
and said, "For this cause shall a
man leave father and mother, and
shall cleave to bis wife." (4, 5. Compo
Gen. ii. 24.) N ow the relation to
father and mother can be dissolved
only by death, yct the marriage relation is more intimate than that, and
its obligations are more binding. Second, in the same sentence (Gen. ii.
24) God said. "They two shall be
one flesh." If they are one flesh
the relation can be dissolved only
by death. which dissolves the body
itself. Third, from these premises
the conclusion follows (verse Ii) that
what God has thus joined together
man shall not put asunder. Of
course, God who joined them togethcr may put them asunder by
prescribing the conditions ofJawful
divorce, but man has nothing to do
in thc case except to obey God's law.
Any act of divorce. therefore, or any
legislation by State or Church on
the subject. inconsistent with the
divine law, is open rebellion against
the authority of Christ.
7. Why did Moses then.-On
hearing his answer the Pharisees

[xix. 4-8.

cleave to his wife: and they

twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but
one flesh.
What therefore God
hath joined together, let not man
put asunder.
'They say unto
him, Why did Mo'ses then command to give a writing of divorcement,
and to put fher]
away?
He saith unto t'hem,
Mo'ses because of the hardness
7 dnj_ Rec. Omitted by Lach . Tlscb
T. S. Green, Trege lles,

thought they had I!;aincd the advantage which they were seeking, and
they demand of him, with an air of
triumph, why did Moses command
to give a writing of divorcement,
and to put her away.

8. Moses ...

suffered you.-

Jesus states more accurately their

citation of Moses. He did not
" command to give a writing of divorcement and put hcr away," he
only" suffered"
them to do so, and
he suffered it on account of the
hardness of their hearts. though it
had not been so from the he~jnning.
Previous to the law of Moses God
had not permitted divorce, but when
the law was given, such W8.8 the
prevalent hardness of heart in relation to women and marriage, that
a positive prohibition of divorce
would have lcd to promiscuous intercourse, or to secret assassination of
wives who were displeasing to their
husbands (see on 10 below); and 8.8
there was no immutable principle
of the divine government involved
in tolerating divorce for a time, the
privilege was granted as 1\ choice
between evils. It was a concession
to the hardness of men's henrts, but
it was part of a system of adaptations by which at last this hardness
would be more effectually overcome.
When the gospel was introduced
God' 8 chosen time had arrived fOT

xix. 9-12.J

MA1THEW.

165

IOIHis: the I disof your hearts suffered you to mit adultery.

put away your wives: but from ciples say unto him, If the case
the beginning it was not so. of the man be so with his wile,
And I say unto you, "\Vhos()o it is not good to marry.
II But
ever shall put away his wife, he said unto them, All men can
except it be for fornication, and not receive this saying, save
shall Illarry another, committeth they to whom it is given. It For
adultery:
and whoso marrieth
10
Bu.
Omitted by Ttsch., T. 8.
her which is put away doth com- Green.

".'0.

bringing this concession to an end, known under the .Jewish law were
and since then it has been the most about to be presented in the comdaring interference with the divine pletedgospel, and this made itwiseto
prerogutiv o, for men to venture on a withdraw the temporary concession.
continuance of the same concession,
11, 12. he said to them.-The
a~ though they were possessed of di- answer of Jesus to the objection of
vine authority. (See Olshausen on the disciples is confessedly obscure.
verse 9 )
In searching for its meaning, the
9. I say unto you.- Having first thing to be determined IS the
lI'hwered their objection, he now, reference of the expression, this
by his own authority, re-affirms the saying"
It must refer either to
law which had existed in the be- the saying of the disciples (verse
ginninl!, and which he had already 10)," If the case of the man be so
re-enacted in his sermon on the with his wife, it iR not /!;ood to
mount
(v, 32 )
marry;" or to the Buving of .Iesus
her that is put away.-That
in his answer to the j>harisf'e~ It
is, put away for some other cause can not refer to the former, because
than fornication. Whether it would that saying was objectionable, nnd
be adultery to marry a woman who th. Baying in question is one that
had been put away on account of should be received; for .Iesus says
fornication, is neither affirmed nor (verse 12), lie that is able to redenied
No doubt such a woman ceivo it, let him receive it"
It
is at liberty to marry again if she must, then, refer to his own saying
can, seeing that the bond which in answer to the Pharisees
His
bound her to her husband is broken. entire speech to the Phm-isees is a
10, His disciples say.- The unit, and its point of unity is the
eonclusron
of the disciplea, that if remark that the married couple are
divorce at will is prohibited, it is o1le fiesh, It is this which makes
not good to marry, proves the Wis-I the marital relation more intimate
Gv~ of allowill~ divorce under the than that of parent and child, and
law of Moses , for if these men that makes it wrong to put asunder
would so conclude, how much more I those whom God has thus joined
those Jews who were Ipsq disposed together
(Verses 5, 6)
Now
to obey God" And if marria~e I .lesus saye of this sayin/!, . Not all
were avoided her-ntinusnesa
would men receive th is saying (oV ",1>,,',
necessarily prevail
J<:venin the .t",po",,,), but they to whom it is
Saviors day, then, the hardness of given;" that is, they to whom it is
heart among the Jews was still an given to receiv e it Th is implies
obstacle in the way of the ori~inal that the I!reater part of men do,
law, but motives to obedience land that those who d not are the
~eater than any that had been exceptions. Eunuchs nre then in-

t66

MATTHEW.

there are some eunuchs, which

were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some
eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be
eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom
of heaven's sake.
He that is
tr"duced &I! an exceptional class.
They can not receive the saying
because a eunuch can not become
one flesh" with a woman; and.
leeinl/: that his marriage would be
a nullity, separation after such a
marriage would not be the divorce
which Jesus forbids, nor would subsequent marriage on the woman's
part be adultery.
Jesus admits,
then, that, so far as eunuchs are
concerned, it is good not to marry,
because his doctrine can not be recei ved or be made practical in their
cases; but bA insists that all shall
receive it and abide by it who can
and do enter really into marriage.
some eunuchs. - Of the three
elnesee of eunuchs mentioned in
this verse, the first and secondthat is, those born so, and those made
10 by men-are
certainly eunuchs
in the literal sense of the word.
The tbird class, those who make
themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake, are those
who. by a life of celibacy undertaken for the sake of better serving
the kingdom of heaven, make them
eunuchs practically but not really.
We think 80, because we know of
none in the apostolic II./l:ewho for
this purpose made themselves real
eunuchs. The" sayinO''' which the
other two classes coul~ not receive
was equally inapplicable to these,
for the marriage of a man who
would maintain practical celibacy
would be a nullity, and separation
from him would not be the divorce
prohibited.
Paul and Barnabas
belonged to thi. clU/l. and there

[xix. 18, 14

I able to receive it, let him receive

it.

U Then
were there brought
unto him little children. that he
should put his hands on them,
and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. U But Je'sus said,
Suffer little children, and forbid

may have been many others of

whom we have no account. (See
1 Cor. ix. 5, 6; and compo vii. 2.S27,32-34.)
About Little
Children, 13-15.
(Mark X. 13-16; Luke xviii. 1517.)

13. put his hands on them

and pray.- These words express
the object for which the children
were brought. The prayers of a
good man in our behalf have alwaYI
been regarded as a blessing : no
wonder that the mothers of these
children desired the prayers of
Jesus in behalf of their little ones.
the disciples
rebuked
them.
-Not the children, but those who
brought them. (Mark X. 13.) The
disciples thought it an unnecessary
annoyance to the Master.
14. to come to me.-That is, to
come for the purpose declared,
"that he might put his hands on
them and pray." Those who have
imagined that there is an allusion
here to infant baptism, or to infant
church membership, are indebted
for the idea, not to their Bibles, but
to their creeds.
of such is the kingdom
of
heaven. - Not of little children,
but of such as little children.
Neither the kingdom 8.8 it now ie,
nor the kingdom as it will he, il
composed of little children, but in
both states of its existence it is
composed of persons with characters
like theirs.
(Comp. xviii. 1-6.)
As, however, children are here
made the models of thOle in the

six. 15-1!~.]

MATTHEW.

B. D. L,

cuk 1M about tltat which is good 11

/ there is none good but one,
that is, God: the good Being is
one/: but if thou wilt enter into
life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith
unto him, Which?
Je'sus said, Thou shalt do no
murder, Thou shalt not commit
adultery, Thou shalt not steal,
Thou shalt not bear false witness, 1. Honor thy father and
thy mother: and, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor W! thyself.

Rec: ri IA-- 1(JOI'f'a.r

ciya90u;
Lach., Tisch., T. S. Green,
Tregellcs. 1(. B. I 1. 22, Old Latin.
N. Ryriac. Coptlc .lEthioplc, Ar
etc

17 O~Ifi.1;' 4'YQ.8b" ., ,..." th'. " 8f6f Bee.

.Il
'<rTi. ~ .y.80. I.ch . Tisch . T. 8. Green.
Alford. 'I'regelles. /'t, BJ 1., I, 22, a, B. 8yr
lac, Armeuian,
etc. "i.~;.
4')'. D.

them not, to come unto me: for

of such is the kingdom of
heaven.
16 And
he laid his
hands on them, and departed
thence.
II And,
behold, one came and
said unto him, [Good1 Master,
what good thing shall do, that
I may have eternal life ? nAnd
he said unto him, IWhy callest
thou me good: Why dost iho

16 I.ydl

Ree.

Omitted

by Lach T1Bch.

T. S. Green, Alford. 'I'regelles, K.

1. 22. a, e. etc.
17

rlfp'

'n ,.,.~AIf"YIf~~

Toii

Alford.
Vulgllte.
menian.

167

d.y8ot'

kingdom, it is quite certain that on

account of their freedom from personal tranagresaion they will be
admitted unconditionally into the
eternal kingdom,
The fortuitous coincidence of
these two conversations has been
noticed by the commentators generally. The little children, the off
epring of happy wedlock, and 0.
source of constant happiness to
faithful husbands and wires, were
brought into notice at the close of
a conversation about divorce and
about the supposed inconvenience
of an indissoluble mar-riage bond.
The pleasant incident served as a
comment on the discussion, and left
a better impression in reference to
married life.
Cb
ti
'th
R' l..M.
o(~I
a17_~~ ~ L akn,
--.
,ar
x.
- ,
u e
xviii. 18-23.)

x. 18, where see the note on the

other-words of this verse which are
placed in brackets.
keep the commandments,The reply . If thou wilt enter into
life. keep the commandments," WII3
given from the stand-point of the
law of Moses, under which the man
WII8 living.
In the broadest sense
of the word commandments. including the statutes concerniug sacriflees for sin, this answer covered
the entire ground of aalvution under
the law. From the point of view
which obtained nfter the death and
resurrection of .Tp~U8, the nnswer
would have been different, hut still.
obedience would hnve been requirl'd
as a condition
(Comp. Acts ii. 37,
38; 2 Thes. i R. et at.)
18, 19. Which 1-The man still
thought that some one command. ent . a n dIeI w 113
men t was pre:emlll
greatly surprised. no doubt, when
16. what good thing, -The I Jesus repeated the last six in the
man evidently thought that there decnlogue, substituting for .Thou
WR8 some one thing
of merit so: shalt not covet." the equivalent.
exalted that bv doing it he would i Thou shalt love thy neighbor lUI
secure eternal Iife,
I thyself." We suppose that he
17, Why dost thou ask.-The
named the last six rather than the
worda. . Why callest thou me first four, because the six were then
r'lOCi," . ere interpolated from Mark I more frequently violated than the

f6~~::a wit

168

MATIHEW.

The ynung man saith unto

him, All these things have I
kept ffrom my youth up]: what
lack
yet?
21.Je'sus said unto
him, If thou wilt be perfect, go
and sell that thou hast, and
give to the puor, and thou shalt
10

20 <6"1T6 I'0U s. Omitted by Lach.,

Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregel les, 101.
B,
L, I, 2'l, etc.

four, and obedience

to them was on
this account
a better test of char\ct('r.
20. The young man saith.Here it fir~t appears that the qlle~tioner wns a !I,,"ng man.
Farther
on he appear . also as It rich manl
That both of these facts are introduced incid,'ntalll
shows the want
of formulitv
which churucter izus
Matthew's
,(p"criptions.
The yourur
man's clnim that he had kept all
these commandments,
was doubtless
true so far as he knew his own
heart and understood
the import of
the commandments.
He thought
that there must be something
more
in order to be certain
of eternal
lifo;
hence
his
next
question,
.. What lack I yet?"
The brncketed words, .. from my youth up,"
were iutr-rpolnted from !If ark x. 20.
21. If thou wilt be perfect.That is, p ..rfect in keeping the comrnnndruents
and in securing eternal
life.
The commandment,
"Thou
h
I
I
II
. 11
th .yse,If"
sat
.ove Iy .nelg
I lor n..~
does. In Rome Instances,
reqUire the
sellin~ of one's poesessiona and distrihution
of nil to the poor; and a
perfect character
is one which goes,
to the utmost limit of every requirement, leuvinz nothing undone which!
honcvolonce
can Au!!:gest and our'
ability
execute.
This benevolent
sacriSco
would
have
made
the
young man perfect
in reference
to
the commandments
recited,
and
obedience
to the additional
com-.
mand,
.. Come
und
follow
me,"

[xix. 20-24.

I have
I come

treasure in heaven: and

nnd follow me.
IS But
when the young man heard that
saying, he went away sorrowful:
for he had greatpossessions.
ISThen said Je'sus unto his
disciples, Verily I say unto you,
That a rich man shall hardly
enter into the killfdom of
hAd
.
eaven. O. n agam say unto

would
have brought
him to the
complete
and final atonement
for
his sins, rendering
him rerfect
in
his preparation
for eterna
life.
22. he went away sorrowful.
-That
he went aW:lY sorrowful
rather
than angry.
speaks well for
the young man.
A man of extreme
avarice,
or of little
concern
for
eternal
life, or of little faith in
.Iesus, would have been offended at
the extravagance
(If the demand.
HiR sorrow -shows that he had respect for the authority
of Jesus,
that he really desired to seek eternal life under
his l-'uid:mce, and
that it required
a struggle to /!:i"Ve
his purpo~e
even for tho sake
0
his great poeaessions.
This is
an example
not of the worst ('I!I.Il!
of rich men, hut of that olass whose
love of their possesaions harely preponderutos
over their
desire
to
serve God with unswerving
devotion.
Ab t th S'
ti
R' h v:
2~1~<)6 e '((~lvaklOll ':l3-')71~ L' ek/,
.)
-.
.
ar
x.
-,
u e
xviii. 24-27.)

ur

23.

shall hardly
euter.s--Shull
difficulty
(~\J~"o~f)
enter;
that i~, it will be difficult for a rich
! man to enter into the kingdom of
heaven.
24. It is easier.-Here
IS indicated the extent of the difficulty
declared
in the previous
verse,
(t
is illustrated
by the physical imposI sibility of a camel p!l.ll~inJ!:through
the eye of a needle.
The conceit,
I which originated
I know not wherF

with

xix. 25-28.]

MATTHEW.

you, It is easier for a camel I to

go: to make entrance I through
the eye of a needle, than for a
rich man [ to enter] into the
kingdom
'of God: of Maven [,
When
I his: the I disciples
heard it, they were exceedingly

169

amazed, saying, Who then can

be saved?
IS But
Je'sus beheld
them, and said unto them, With
men this is impossible; but with
God all things are possible.
IT Then
answered Pe'ter and
said unto him, Behold, we have
forsaken all, and followed thee;

24 !U!A.8~lat Re.
.tCTfA8.l Tisch., T. S.
Orren, Alford, TrcgC'lle .
21 "".AB,'. Rec
Omitted by Tisch., T.
B. Green, Alford, /'C,L, Z, 1, 33, etc., N. Syr
lac, etc.
:!4 Tot; Ehov Ret".
'TWV ovptJ.vwv, Lach.,
TihCh., T. S. Green. Alford, Tregelle s.
25 .1".0;' Rec. umitted bv Lach., Ttsch.,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

what shall we have therefore f

And .Ie'sus said unto them,

Verily I say unto you, That ye
which have followed me, in the
regeneration
when the Son of

18

that "the eve of a needle" here thl) camel, and secondly to that of
means a low and narrow ~nte thl) rich man, hut has chief referthrough which the cumel could not ence to the latter.
As it is rosgo except on his knees and after aiblo for God, though impossible
his burden had been removed, is with men, to cause a cumel to {!,O
not only without historical founda-: throuzh the eye of 1\ needle; so it
&ion, but ill inconsistent with the, is pos~ible with God, thougl. II work
context, which contemplates some- i in itself difficult, to pave a rich
thin::; imposaible with men. (Verse I man. The point of difficulty was
26.)
seen in the case of the man who
25. exceedinglyamazed.-The
had just gone away-his disposition
amazement of the disciples must be to esteem riches more hil(hlv than
considered in connection with the eternal life. This part of trw lesincident which gayo rise to the son is more clearly developed in
astonishing remark.
If they had Mark, where see the note on x 24.
been thinking of rich men who About Sacrifice . for Jesus, 27-:30
grind the poor and live licentiously,
(Mark x. 28-31; Luke xviii. 28they would not have been surprised.
30.)
But the case before their minds was
that of a rich man who lacked only,
27. we have forsaken all,one thing of being perfect. It was, The refusal of the rich young mal
the statement that it was easier for i to sell all and follow Jesus (21, 22),
a camel to ,go through the eye of a I reminded Peter that a aimilur de
needle than for such a rich man to i mand had been made of him and
be saved, that amazed them and: his companiolls, and that although
suggested the 9,uestion, 'Vho then I they had hut little to forsake, they
can be saved?
had forsnken all they had. He now
26. With men ...
with God. I wishes to know what shall be their
-The remark. "With men this is reward for this.
impossible," refers primarily to the
28. in the regeneration+-Repassage of a camel through a nee- generation means, either the proodle's eye; but it hints secondarily at i ess of regenerating, or the result
the asserted difficulty of saving a I attained by that pmc"8R, nccordirur
rich man. Likewise, the declara-: to the context in which it is found
tion that" with God all things are J Her~ it evi?ently means t~e f/lr~el',
pouible," looks first to the C1l8eof for It dC"I~natt'8 a per-iod during

'I

15

170

MATTHEW.

[xix. 29

man shall sit in the throne of houses, or brethren, or sisters,

his glory, ye also shall sit upon or father, or mother, [or wifeJ,
twelve thrones, ~udging the or children, or lands, for my
:l9 " 'Y"., .Rec.
Omitted
by Lach.,
twelve tribes of Is rael, And
T. S. Green, Alford. Tregellea, B,
everyone
that hath forsaken Tl.och.,
D, 1, a, b, e, etAl., H. 8yriac, Orlgen. etc.
which the apostles would sit on
thrones,
We can not connect the
words" in the regeneration"
with
the precedin~ clause, ye who have
followed me,' for the obvious reaIon that Jesus had gone through no
regeneration, and they could have
followed him through none. The
words, ye who have followed me,"
simply describe the partieaaddressed
as having done what the rich man
refused to do. The period deaignated by the term regeneration IS
further
limited
by the words,
when the Son of man shall sit on
the throne of his glory."
He sat
down on that throne when he ascended up to heaven, and he will
still be seated on it in the day of
judgment.
(Acts ii. 33-35; Heb.
1. 13; Matt. xxv. 31; 1 Cor. xv. 2428.)
The regeneration,"
then,
ill eotemporaneous with this period,
and therefore it must be that process of regenerating
men which
commenced on the Pentecost after
the ascension, and 'Will continue
until the saints are raised 'With regenerated bodies, and the heaven
and earth shall themselves be regenerated as the home of the redeemed.

doubt, the jud~ing consists in pronouncing decisions on questions of

faith and practice in the earthly
kingdom, and the twelve are figuratively represented
as sitting OD
thrones, because they are acting as
jud~es.
During their personal
ministry they Judged in person;
since then they Judge through their
writings.
True, we have written
communications from only a part
of them, but judgments pronounced
by one of a bench of Judges with
the known approval of all, are the
judgments
of the entire bench.
The twelve thrones had reference,
of course, to the twelve original
apostles, and the place of Judas was
filled by Matthias.
(Acts i. 26.)
The apostle to tile Gentiles is left
out of view.
the twelve tribes.- The apo&tIes have sustained no such relation
to the twelve tribes of Israel. literally so called, as the text indicates,
nor is there any intimation in the
Scriptures
that they ever will.
Their work is with the true Israel,
nnd not with Israel according to the
flesh; consequently, we are to construe the terms metaphorically,
the twelve tribes representing the
upon twelve thrones judging. Church of God of which they were
-The statement of Paul that the a type.
Pints shall judge the world" (1
~9. shall receive manifold.Cor. vi. 2), has led many to sup- Not manifold in the same exact
pose that the judging here men- form. but manifold in value as afThis is the
tioned is to take place at the final fecting real happiness.
judgment.
But clearly the judg- reward in time. while in eternity
lDg and the sitting on thrones are the party shall inherit everlasting
declared to be cotemporaneous with life. This last is an inheritance as
the regeneration and with Christ's well as a reward. because it result.
sitting on his throne; and therefore from having become a child of God.
they must be regarded as now in Doubtless Peter felt aatisfied when
progress.
If we are correct in he heard that these honors and blesethis, of which we entertain
no ings were to be his reward. .

m. SO-xx.

A.]

MA'ITHEW.

name's sake, "hall receive Ian

hundredfold: manifold I, and shan
inherit everlasting life. But
many that are first shall be
last; and the last shall he first.
XX. I For the kingdom of
beaven is like unto a man that
is an householder, which went
out early in the morning to hire
laborers into his vineyard. lAnd
when he had agreed with the Iaborers for a penny a day, he sent
them into his vineyard.
And
he went out about the third
hour, and I!aW others standing
idle in the market-place, 'and
said unto them; Go ye also into
29 flCdTo..-raW'ACU,.,O"a. Ret! W'oU4trA40"lo a.,
Lach . Ttsch., '1'. s. Green, Alford, Tre

relies.

30, first shall be last.-This

proverbial expression, in its present

connection, means that many who
are first in prospect of everlasting
life shall be l118t,and manj who are
181't in this respect shal be first,
For example, the rich young mau
whose inquiries had given rise to
this conversation (16-20), had been
among the first, but now it appeared
that he was among the last Judas,
also, who WR.Sthen among the first,
was destined to be lust, and MatthiR.S,who was among the last, being
then only an obscure disciple (Acts
ii. 21-23), was to take his place.

171

the vineyard, and whatsoever is

I will give you. And they
their way.
I Again
he
went out about the sixth and
ninth hour, and did likewise.
And about the eleventh hour
be went out, and found others
standing [idle], and saith unto
them, 'Vhy stand ye here all the
day idle? 'They say unto him,
Because no man hath hired us.
He saith unto them, Go ye. aOO
into the vineyard ; [and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive].
So when even was

I went
right
I

6 .~;,. Rec. Omitted by L&ch TIsch.,

T. S. Green, Alford, Tregellea.
7 Ka.4 0 .iciv ~ 'O_'''G.40'' A"''''.cr8. Bee. Om1tted by Lach., TIsch., T. S. Green, Alford,
Tregelles, N, B D, L Z, 1, a. b, c. e, ete., Vulgate, SahldlC, ete.,

" So the last shall be fint, and the

first last; for many are called but
few chosen."

hire laborers into his vine-

yard,-An
elliptical expression for
" hire laborers to work 10 hi. vineyard."
2. penny a day.-A denariuB a
day, fifteen cents. This seems to
have been the regular price for a
day's labor.

3-6, the third hour . . . the

sixth.-As
the Jews numbered the
hours from six in the morning, the
third was nine o'clock, the sixth
was noon, the ninth was three
P.M., and the eleventh was five
Parable of the Laborers in the P. M., or an hour before the close
Vineyard, xx. 1-16.
of the day.
I, For the kingdom, - For
7, no man hath hired us.connects this paragraph with the They had stood all the day idle beclosing remark in the preceding, cause no man had hired them, and
many that are first shall be last, they had probably stood in the marand the last shall be first." 1'hi~ ket-place t~ Wr0p'" the place of P" bparable is therefore intended to ~- lie re.~ort) for the purl?ose of findpound and to illustrate that thought. in~ employment. It is Implied that
Thia intention is also indicated in the others were found idle for the
rerse 16, in which the parable is same reason.
broulht to f\ close bv the statement.
S, beginning from the last to

172

MATTHEW.

come, the lord of the vineyard

saith unto his steward, Call the
laborers, and give them their
hire, beginning from the last
unto the first. And when they
came that were hired about the
eleventh hour, they received
every man a penny.
10 But
when the first carne, they supposed that they should have reeeived more; and they likewise
received every man a penny.
11 And
when they hart received
it, they m urm ured against the
goodman of the house, U saying,

[n:o 9-16

These last have wrought but one

hour, and thou hast made them
equal unto us, which have borne
the burden and heat of the day.
II But he answered
one of them,
and said, Friend, I do thee no
wrong: didst not thou agree
with me for a penny? U Take
that thine is, and go tby way: I
will give unto this last, even as
unto thee. 16 Is it not lawful
for me to do what I will with
mine own? Is thine eye evil,
because I am good?
I.So the
last shall be first, and the ifSt

the first.-Another
elliptical ex- An evil eye ia a aynonym f' 5eaIpres-cion, in which goillg is omitted. 'lOUSY, and it acquired this D,w.mng
Heginning thus had the double ef from the malicious leer witl, whrch
feet of making conspicuous the fact, jealou8~regard8 its object. (Corap.
that tbo last received a full day'8IMarkvil.2;
I Sam. xviii. 9.) Th<l86
wages, and of calling forth a com- i laborers were jenlous of the others
plaint from those who had come because of the unmerited favor
first. (9. 10.)
which the latter had received.
11, 12. they murmured.-They
16. So the last.-Here
.lesus
had received all that they had bar- states the point of comparison in
gained for, and all that they had the parable.
"80"- that iA.I1.8in
earned; but it caused them pain to the parable, so in th- kingdom of
Bee others receive the same for only heaven-" the last Bh.':l be firat, and
one-twelfth of the labor which they the first last." How, then, were
had performed.
the last first and the tlrst last in the
13, 14. I do thee no wrong.parable?
In the payment of the
No wrong Wall done to the mur- laborers the householder told his
murer, for ho bad a)!ree.l to work steward to begin with the last and
for what he received
The settle- end with the first (verse H); but
ment with him was strictly just. this mere order of sequencc in reN or was any wrong done to the cpiving the reward can not be the
others. for they received more than point of comparison, for thor is
thev had earned.
nothing in the rewards of the kineis. Is it not lawful.-Ha\ing
dom of heaven to correspond \'t.th
shown that no injustice wns dune, it. The last were first in another
the employer now justifies the )!ra- and much more important sense;
tuity which he had given to the the,Yreceived 1\ reward much I!:re;J.tothers, on the ground of his rit:ht er In proportion to the labor which
to do as he would with his own, to they had performed. Those who
bestow his gratuities where and carne ltl.!ltwere first of all in rewhen ho chooses. He also traces spect to the ratio between the rethe complaint of the murmurer to ward and the lahor, and those who
its true source by demanding, "Is came first wore last of all in th is
thin P'VA v;1 because I am good?" particular
The payment of .8.IC.

xx. 16.]

MATTHEW.

last: for many be cnlled, but few

not regulated by the rule of
quid pro quo, so much money for
80 much labor; but, while there Willi
a full reward in every cese, in all
except the first there Willi more than
a reward-there
Willi an undeserved
gratuity, which showed the goodflets of' the householder.
The eontract with those who came first, and
who receive no more than they had
earned. is evidently mentioned for
the purpose of showing the real
price of a day's work, and setting
forth. the fact that the others did
receive II. ~ratuity. It has no significnnce in the application of the
parable, but is, like a shade in a
pieture, intended to make the signiflcant figures more conspicuous.
'rhus it is in the parable : now
what is there like this in the kingdom? Peter and his companions
had left all and followed Jesus, had
COIneat his call to work in his
vineyard, and he had just inquired
of the Master, What shall we have
therefore?"
What shall be our
wages? (xix. 27.) He was told'
what their reward was to be, and
then, lest they might think that
those with the best prospects would
bs in every instance most certain
of the reward, Jeeus tells them
that many first shall be last, and the
IMt first; and, lest they should
think that the promised reward
would be only 1\ JURt comp,ensation
for their sacrifices and toils, he recites the parable and says, " So the
[apt shall be first and the first last."
That is, in the kingdom of heaven,
as in the parable, rewards are not
distributed on the principle of a just
compensation for labor performed.
but, while all lahor receives a just
cotnpensation (for God is not unri~htt'"u8 to forg!'t yonr work -and
Iove-e-Heb. vi. 10), all the laborera
will receive a reward far greater
th.\n they deserve-a reward which
will show the goodnull (verse 15)
WIlli

178

chosen.

--------------------------of the Master. And as a eonse-

quence of this principle of reward,

the last shall be first, and the first
last ; that is, the last in amount of
labor performed shall be first in the
ratio between labor and reward, and
the lirst in amount of labor shall be
last in said ratio. This we know
to be a fact; for eternal life is inconceivably more than a compeneation for all that a man can do and
suffer in pursuit of it, und among
those who will inherit it those who
will have done and suffered the
least will be first in the ratio hetween their labor and their reward,
and vice verlla. Compure the thief
on the cross, for example, with the
apostle Paul.
From the preceding interpretstion it follows, that the different
hourI! at which the laborers were
called into the vineyard do not represent different periods of human
life: for although two old men, one
of whom had spent his life in the
Church, and the other had just entered it, would be casee in point,
yet he who becomes II. Christian in
childhood may, and often docs, on
account of early death, do less labor for the Lord than he who is
called in the meridian of life, or
even in old age.
This parable has often been used
to encourage hope in cases of deathbed repentance.
It certainly does
teach, that however little the labor
which a man does in the Lord's
vineyard, he will receive the final
reward if only he be really in the
vineyard; that is, if he be really a
child of God. But whether 1\ man
who repents on his death-bed actually becomes a child of God, is
a different question, and is not
touched hy the parable. Certainly,
the eleventh-hour. laborer who had
stood idle all day only because no
man had hired him, and who came
into the vineyard IlII Boonas he was

MATTHEW.

17-1

called, can not represent the man

who has been called by the gospel
every hour of his life, but has rejected every call until his sun has
sunk so low that he knows he can do
but little work when he comes. In
order to represent this class of sinners, the eleventh-hour men should
have been invited early in the morninl$' and should have replied, "No,
it 18 too early i I will not go now."
Then they should have been invited at the third, the sixth, and the
ninth hours, and should have made
some equally frivolous excuse each
time i then, finally, at the eleventh
hour, they should have said, " Well,
as you I?ay a man just the same for
an hour s work as for a day's work,
and as I am very anxious to get
yuur money, I believe I will now
~o."
Had they acted thus, it is
not likely that they would have
found the vineyard gate open to
them at all. Yet such is the sharp
rractice which some men attempt
1D dealing
with God.
ARGCMENT

OF SEOTION

l.

In the series of conversations

which fill the preceding section,
Matthew has given proof of both
the divine knowledge and the divine
wisdom of Jesus. The conversation
about marriage and divorce shows
that he had a conception of the
subject far transcending that of the
age in which he lived and of all
preceding ages.
Indeed, it is a
conception too pure and lofty for
the subsequent generations of his
own disciples;
for thousands of
them have appreciated it so little as
to eXCU8ethemselves in disregardin" it.
In the conversation about little
children, -Iesus revealed in a single
sentence their true relation to Goda relation which the world had not
discovered, and which it has ever
been slow to recognize. How many
there are at the nresent day who re-

[xx. 16.

gard children as totally depraved,

and who either go through the
form of baptizing them in order to
fit them for heaven, or teach thai
they undergo a spiritual regeneration in the article of death I Here
~ain
the wisdom of Jesus towers
high above that of the most philosophical of his followers.
"I'he conversation with the rich
young man shows the power of Jesus to read the secrets of men's
hearts, detectin~ faults which are
hidden from their own eles. The
man had said nothing to Indicate a
love of money i on the contrary.
the extreme rectitude of his life
appeared
inconsistent
with the
damning sin of covetousness, and
left him to wonder what he yet
lacked of being perfect.
But Jesus
laid bare the hidden sin by saying
to him, "Go and sell that thou hast
and give to the poor, and thou shalt
have treasure in heaven."
In reference to the salvation of
rich men Jesus had also made a
revelation which amazed his disciples, and which many of his friends
10 later ages have tried to explain
away because it requires too much
unselfishness to suit their taste. It
was a wisdom not of this world by
which he spake.
Finally, the foreknowledge of JeBUS is exhibited
in his statements
about the reward awaiting his disciples, and in his illustration
of
that subject in the parable of the
laborers.
Part of his prediction
had already
been fulfilled when
Matthew wrote his narrative; for
the apostles were already sitting on
thrones judging the twelve tribes
of Israel, and others had already
experienced that those who forsake
houses, brethren, eto., on account
of his name, "shall receive manifold, and shall inherit everlasting
life."
Now it is barely possible that
anyone of the above named oxhi-

u.17-20.]

MATTHEW.

"And Je'sus going up to -Ieru'salem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said
unto them, IIBehold, we go up
to Jem'salem; and the Son of
man shall be betrayed unto the
chief priests and unto the scribes,
bitions of wisdom might be aceounted for by the supposition that
Jesus was a man of transcendent
genius; but when we consider them
all together, and in connection with
them consider the miraculous foreknowledge which is intermingled
with them, we can account for thcm
only on the supposition of divine
inspiration.
And if Jesus spoke
by divine inspiration, his claim to
be the Meseiah and the Son of God
i8 established beyond controversy.

176

and they shall condemn him to

death, I'and shall deliver him to
the Gen'tiles to mock, and to
scourge, and to crucify him: and
the third day he shall rise again.
Then came to him the mother of Zeb'edee's children with

As on the two former occasions, Jesus makes the anuouncemcnt

of his
death to his immediate followers
alone. Such an announcement to
thc unhelieving
multitude would
have confirmed them in their unbelief, and at the same time it might
have encouraged his enemies in
their machinations against him.
18, 19, shall be betrayed.-In
these verses Jesus doscribes his ar
rest, condemnation, and sufferings,
precisely as they afterward
oc
curred.
First, he was to be . betrayed unto the chief priests and
unto the scribes," which was done
SECTlOX II.
JOURNEY FRO)! PEREA
TO JKRUSA- by Judas.
Second, he was to be
condemned by them to death, and
LIW. XX.17-X.'G.
22.
to be delivered to the Gentiles,
ThIrd Pred lct.luu of Hi, Deat h , 17-19; which was done when the SunheArubit lou ot .la nres and JOhll, 20-2H;
pronounced him guilty and
The
Blind
Man at Jericho,
~U-34; drim
Public Eutry \111.0 Jerusalem,
xx t, I- called on Pilate to execute
him.
ll; The 'I'em nle- clea red , and tile Third, the Gentiles WE're" to mock,
Praise of Ch t ld re n, 1~16; T'lre Barand to scourge, and to crucify him,"
ren Fig-tree, 17-t~.
which was done by the soldiers of
Pilate with his consent.
Fourth,
Third rredil'ii01I of His Death,
on the third day he was to rise
li-19.
()I'lrk x. 32-34; Luke a~ain, and this was effected by the
xviii. 31-34.)
power of God. If we only credit
17.going up to Jerusalem.Matthew's statement, that this preHaving followed Jesus, on his de- diction was made by .Iesus while he
parture from Galilee, into Perea, was yet alive and before he made
where the conversations of the last his last visit to .Ierusnlem. we must
section took place, Matthew now regard it as one of the most restarts with him from some point mnrknble r.redictions recorded even
in thut country, on his last journey : in the BiL e.
to Jerusalem.
Much matter re- A mu
J ames an d J 0 hn, 2"
t ton 0
vIat!' d h yon
J h (hper aps a II from hi18
1)8
.(~
k
35-45 )
seventh to his eleventh chapter in_..
ar x.
.
elusive), and some related by Lnke
20, mother of Zebedee's chil(xvii. I-xviii. 14), are here omit- t dren. - Hvr name was Salome.
~ed.
(xxvii. 61. Comp.lfark
xv. 40.)
the twelve disciples apart.The fact that both here and in

l\1AITHEW.

176

[xx, 21-23.

her .ons, worshiping him, and' the baptism that I am baptized

desiring a ce-rtain thing of him. i with l? They :5ayunto him, We
1\ Ann
he said unto her, "-hat are ahle.
"[And] he saith UIlwilt thou ? She saith unto him, I to them, Ye shall drink indeed
Grant that these Illy two sons: of Illy cup [and be baptized
may sit, the one on thy right, with the baptism that I am baphand, and the other on the left, tizsd with]: out to sit on my
in thy kingdom.
But .Ie'sus I right hand, and on my left, ia
answered ami said, Ye know not not mine to give, out it shall be
what ye ask. Are ye able to' given to them for whom it ia
drink of the cup that I shall
Rcc, Omitted
by Lach., TIBch.,
drink of [aud to be baptized with T.23S.,Green.
Alford. Tregelles.
22

TO

'~va,;

iJw

23. /CdL TO fja7r'TUIIJ.a. 0

{3a..".T"0J>J.a.L,
/Ja.",.
0 fJW f3aTtn~OlJ.a" /1o..Jf'TlCTby Lac h , Tisch., T. Tlq9~CTI!C181! Ree. Ornitte by Lach., Tisch.
Tn-'gcllC's,~. n, D, L, Z, 1, 1'. S. Green, Alford. Tregelles, 1(, B, D. L,
z, 1,22, etc., 01<1 Latin, Vulgate, N. SYfI&C,
Vulgate, :-;. syrtnc, Coptic,
etc.

f3a.rrTta~a

8 Green

Rec. Omitte
AI(()rd,

22, Old Luun,

Sahidlc, etc,

xx vii. 5f" she is call.-d . the and addressing his answer exclumother of Zebedee's children," rath- .aively to them. The request was
er than the wife of Zebedee, has understood in the same way by the
led to the Yery probul.le conjecture . ten. (Verse 24.) They knew not
that Zebedee had died si m-e his two: what they were asking, because to
sons had left him in the fishing i sit un his ri/!ht hand and on his left
boat
(:\Iark i. ~O.) This conject- was far different from what they
ure lm~also led to another. that the thought, and was to be obtained in
disciple who had asked leave to go a way of which they had no cllllcepand burv his father (viii. 21) was lion.
JaIDe~ I,r John, their father having
the cup that I shall drink.-It
died JUBtprevioU!, to that time.
was common in ancient timps to exworshiping
him.- W orshiping ecute criminals by compelling them
in the sense of humble prostration to drink a cup of poison, and assasbefore him, not in the sense of pay- sination and suicide were often efinl-!:him divine honors.
fected hy the same means. The
21. What wilt thou ?-She had cup, therefore, became a symbol of
asked. in indefinite terms, .a cer- suffering and of death. and it is so
tain thing of him" (ver-re 20, comp, used here. The words of this and
Mark x. :ifi), but he declines to an-l the next verse that are in brackets
swer until she states in specific are copied from ~1ark x. 38, 39,
terms what she desires.
where they will be considered.
011 thy
right hand.-The
place
23. Ye shall drink. -James
of hi;:?;hesthonor in the courts of drank the cup by suffering martyrkings is at the right hand of the dom at the hands of Herod Agripthrone, and the next, at the left pa, bf'ing the first of the apostles
hand. Salome therefore desired to to suffer death. (Acts xii. 2.) .lohn
secure for her two sons the highest; lived to an old age. outliving all of
possible honors in the expected the other apostles, and died a natkingdom
ural donth ; but he drank the ,'up by
22. Ye know not.-Although
the sufferinge through which he
the mother alone had spoken, Je- passed.
BUS treats the request as that of the i
not mine to give.- The rendertwo sons, by using the plural" ye," I iug should be, .. not mine to !!iYe
I

I'

xx. 24-82.]

MA'ITHEW.

prepared uf my Father.
" And
when the ten heard it, they were
moved with indignation against
the two brethren. "But Je'sus
called them unto him, and said,
Ye know that the princes of the
Gen'tiles exercise dominion over
them, and they that are great
exercise aut hority upon them.
-But it shall not be so among
you: but whosoever will be great
among you, let him be your
minister; IT and whosoever will
be chief among you, let him be
your servant: 18 even as the
Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,

177

and to give his life a ransom for

many.
And as they departed from
Jer'icho, a great multitude followed him. 10And, behold, two
blind men sitting by the way
side, when they heard that Je'sus passed by, cried out, saying,
Have mercy on us, 0 Lord,
thou son of Da'vid. II Ami the
multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their
peace: but they cried the more,
saying, Have mercy on us, 0
Lord, thou son of' Da'vid. "And
Je'sus stood still, and called
them, and said, What will ye

James and John, and the indignation (If the others, were suppressed.
It is impossible for preachers, teachers, and other
workers
in the
Church, to study this lesson too carefully.
24. moved with indignation,
Nothing moves the indignation of The Blind bfen at Jericho, 29-34.
men more than to know that one of
(Mark x. 46-52; Luke xviii. 35a company of equals is plotting to
six. 1.)
get an undue advantage over the
29. departed from Jericho.others.
It was now necessarv that
Jesus should interfere as a p!'ace' Departed III the direction of Jerusalem; for they were then, as premaker.
25-28. not be 80 among you. viously stnted, " ~oing up to Jerusa-To sit on his right hand and on lem." (Verse I r , ) Their arrival
his left in the kingdom would not at .lerrcho is not mentioned, because
only be an honor, but it would give the writer is not aiming to give an
authority.
Jesus informs them that account of all that was done, but
while the princes and the gre!llt only of certain detached incidents.
30. thou Son of David.-On
among the Gentiles exercise dominion and authority, it is not to be so the meaning of this expression, and
in his kingdom, but that the poet on the faith of blind men, see the
of honor is to be the post of servi- notea, ix. 27. 28.
31. the multitude
rebuked
tude. The one who would be !(reat
clamor appeared to
must be their minister (lluixovo{, do- them.-Their
mestic .ervanl), and he who would the multitude indecorous, and it
conversation;
hence
be chief (tfp.:. ..O{, first), must be interrupted
their slave (lIo\i).os). lie enforces their desire to suppress it. The
the lesson by hill own example, in multitude were thinking of their
thai he came not to have men serve own comfort and dignity instead of
him. but that he might serve them. sympathizing with the unfortunate.
32, 33. stood -au and called
In this way both the ambition of
except to those for whom it is prepared by my Father." (Alford.) It
was his to give it, but only to those
for whom it is prepared by the
Fath('r.

178

MATTHEW.

that I shall do unto you? AThey

eay unto him, Lord, that our
eyes may he opened. So Je'sus had compassion on them,
and touched their eyes:
and
immediately
I their eyes: they I
received sight, and they followed
him.
XXI. 1 And when they drew
nigh unto Jeru'salem,
and were
come to Beth'phage,
unto the
mount of Ol'ives, then sent Je'sus two disciples, saying unto
them, Go into the village over
against you, and straightway ye
shall find an ass tied, and a colt
34

""T".

0.

o<l>60.>.I'0(

Rec.

Omitted

by

Lach . T. S. Green. Alford, Tregelles, N. B,

I., ete., Old Latln, Vulgate, N. syriac,

!'J L,
t1.

Syriac, Coptic, Sahldlc,

etc.

tbem.-To
rebuke the indifference
of the multitude, as well as to grant
the petition of the blind men, Jesus
showed, by stopping and calling
them to him, that he had not been
indifferent tu their cries.
They
had cried only for mercy: he makes
them tell in what way they desire
him to manifest it, and then he
grants their request. They needed
far more of his mercy than they
called for; but, like men in general. they thought more of their
bodily than of their spiritual ills.
34. they
followed
him. Though they came not for spiritual
oomfort, the bodily blesaing which
they received attached their hearts
to Jesus and led them in the direction of the blessings yet more to be
::lesired.
Public Entry into Jerusalem, xxi.
I-ll.
(Mark xi. 1-11; Luke
xix. 29-44; John xii. 12-19.)
1. come to Bethphage,-Beth-

hal!;e and Bethany were two vilf,mges

on the eastern slope of the
Mount of Olives,

10

close together

[xx. 33-xxi. 6.

with her: loose them, and bring

them unto me. I And if any
man say aught unto you, ye
shall say, The Lord hath need
of them;
and straightway
he
will send them.
[All] this was
done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 6 Tell ye the daughter
of Si'on, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, rand] sitting upon an ass, ana [onl a
colt the foal of an ass. I And
the disciples went, and did as
4 oAo. Rec. Omitted by Lach., T. S. Green,
Alford! Tregellea, N, C, D, L, Z, Old Latin,
N. Syr ac, Coptic, .iEthlopic, etc.
/; , Ree.
Omitted
by Tisch., T. 8.
Green,.Alford.
/; ., .Added by LBCh., TiBch., T. 8.
Green, .Alford, Tregelles.

that in coming to one Jesus came

also to the other.
(Comp. Luke
xix, 29.)
2, 3. The Lord has need of
them,-lf
the owner of the ass
and colt had been a strnnger to
Jesus, it would have been very unsatisfactory to give him as an excuse
for taking away the animals, the
statement that" The Lord has need
of them."
But Jesus foreknew
both the person whose asses would
be found at the designated place,
and his willingness to let the disciples bring them to him.
4, 6. spoken by the prophet.
-The <J.uotationis from Zecn. ix.
9, and Its context shows clearly
that it was written concerning the
Messiah. Foreseeing the strange
fimrre of a king riding in triumph
into the capital city of his kingdom,
not on a richly caparisoned steed
and surrounded by pomp and glory,
but on the colt of an ass, the last
animal which vanity would choose
for a grand display, the ass without
a bridle and with no saddle but a
man's coat thrown acroBBita baok.

xxi. 7-12.]

MATTHEW.

Je'su8 [commanded : appointed I

them, ' and brought the 8I!8, and
the colt, and put on them their
clothes, and they set him thereon. I And a verr great multitude spread their garments in
the
way;
others
cut down
branches from the trees, and
strewed them in the way. 'And
the multitudes that went before
[him], and that followed, cried,
saying, Hosanna to the son of
Da'vid: Bleased is he that com6 trpoarro.l.JII Rec. ,","Tal .', Lach., T. s.
Green, Alford, Tregelles, B, c, D, 33, etc.
9 liTh. Added by Lach., TlIch., T. 8.
Green, Allord, Tregelles.

I
I

179

eth in the name of the Lord;

Hosanna in the Lighest,
10 And
when he was come into Jeru'salem, all the city was moved,
saying, Who is this? llAnd the
multitude
said, This is Je'sus
the prophet
of Nas'areth
of
Gal'ilee.
It And
Je'su!! went into the
temple [of God], and cast out
all them that sold and bought
in the temple, and overthrew
the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that
12 T 9 R. Omitted by Lach., T.
B. Green, Tregelles, N, B, L, ete., b, Coptic,
Bahldlc, .di:t.hloplc, etc.

the prophet exclaims, " Behold, thy by usage a formula of gratulation.

King cometh to thee meek, sitting (.Alford.)
upon an 11.88,
and a colt the foal of
10, 11. all the city was moved.
an II.8s."
-The
Mount of Olives, from the
7. set him thereon,-More
ao- top of which the VlI.8tmultitude ellcurately, set him on them (i..:ti~", corted Jesus, WII.8about two hunCW1' ).
"They put on them their dred feet higher than the temple
clothes, and they set him on them." mount, and WII.8separated from it
The 11l.8~them must refer to the only by the narrow valley of Jeh08halothes, for the'y could not set Jesus aphat;
consequently the proceson both the animals. They put the sion could be Been and the shouts
garments on both because they of the people distinctly heard in all
knew not which he would ride; but I parts of the city. To the question
he chose the colt. (Verse 5; Mark on every body's lips," Who is this?"
xi. 7.)
the people exultingly responded,
8. spread their garments,"This is Jesus the prophet, of NuThe people were wild with delight areth of Galilee."
and admiration.
Only .the most The Temple Cleared, and the
extravagant state of feeling could
Praises of
Children, 12-16.
prompt them to. make IL. carp~t
(Mark xi. 15-19' Luke xix, 45alonz the mountain path With their
48 )

g.lrment8, and with the soft branches

.
of the palm-tree.
(John xii, 13 ~
12, Bold and bought,-There
It was "a very great multitude,' WII.8general traffio going on besides
and their numbers enabled them to that of the money-changers and the
spread this carpet all the way from dealers in doves. The excuse for
the mountain top to the gate of the allowing doves to be sold and mone),
city
to be changed there, waR that this
lIosanna, -.A
llebrew word WII.8an accommodation to the poor,
whosc etymological meanin& is, whose otrerings consisted larl!ely in
Save, we pray l "
Originally a. doves, and who needed small change
G:Jnnula of supplication, it beoame for their oontributions The admis-

MATfHEW.

180

Bold doves, II and said unto them,

It is written, My house shall be
called the house of prayer; but
ye I have made: are making I it
a den of thieves.
U And
the
blind and the lame came to him
in the temple; and he healed
them.
16 And
when the chief
18 4lrouiC1a.,.. Re.
T. B. Green. Alford,
Coptic, etc.

"0"'''.,

Tregelles,

[xxi. 13-16.

priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and
the children crying in the ternple, and saying, Hosanna to the
son of Da'vid ; they were sore
displeased, 15 and said unto him,
Hearest thou what these say?
And Je'sus saith unto them,
Yea; have ve never read, Out
of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hMt perfected praise?

Lach., Tisch.,
N, B, L, 124,

sion of these traffickers opened the in the obscure towns and the desert
way for the others.
places of Galilee that his power to
13. It is written.-The
words, heal was displayed, but in Jeruso.My house shall be called a house lem, in the court of the temple,
of prayer," are quoted from Isaiah and surrounded by his bitterest
Ivi. 7; and some have supposed foes,
thut the words, " ye have made it a
15. Bore displeased. - The
den of thieves," are taken from chief priests and scribes were of.
Jeremiah vii. II, where a similar fended by the authority which .Iesus
expression occurs. I prefer to re- assumed in regard to the traders in
gnrd the latter as the words of the temple, and b, the unfavorable
Jesus.
The expression "den of reflection on their 'own toleration
thieves" is a hyperbole to indicate of this traffic implied in his Slipthe dishonesty with which their pression of it.
His triumphant
sacrilegious traffic was conducted. vindication of his act, both by the
This clearing of the temple must manifest righteousness of it and by
not be confounded with that men- the "wonderful things which he
tioned in John ii. 13-18, for the de- did," and the praises of the chil
tails are quite different. and the dren, who now caught up the H()latter occurred during the first visit sanna which had been dropped by
of Jesus to Jerusalem, while the the multitude, increased their irrione in our text occurred during his tation, and roused them up to an
last visit. It is useless to conjecture expression of it.
.
what would have been the conse16. hast perfected
praise.quences on either of these occa- It was both tIle thought which the
sions, had the traders refused to children uttered. declaring .Iesus to
move at his bidding, for he knew be the Son of David, and the noise
before he began his demonstration which thev were making in the
against them that they would move. temple, which displeased the priests
He is now in hiR Father's house, and scribes.
They claimed that
where his authority is most appro- his zeal for good order in the ternpriately exercised, and where even pie demanded n suppreaaion of this
Coo"ar could not assume to be his noi~y outcry.
But they were III!
rival.
p:reatly mistaken in wishing to 8Up14. the blind and the lame.press the H08an",\~ of the children
The high authority which Jesus as they had been in not suppressing
assumed in the temple was sup-] the traffic of the dove-sekers and
ported bv the miracles which he I the money-changers,
The outcries
there performed.
It was no longer I of these children was the perfection

xxi. 17-22.]

MATIHEW.

If And he left them, and went

out of the city into Beth'any;
and he lodged there. 11 Now in
the morning as he returned into
the city, he hungered. 1. And
when he saw a fig-tree in the
way, he came to it, and found
nothing thereon, but leaves only,
and said unto it, Let no fruit
grow on thee henceforward for
ever.
And presently the figtree withered away.
10 And
when the disciples saw it, they

181

marveled, saying, How BOOnis

the fig-tree withered away I
11 Je'sus answered and said unto
them, Verily I say unto you, If
ye have faith, and doubt not,
ye shall not only do this which
is done to the fig-tree, but also
if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be
thou cast into the sea; it shall
be done.
'2 And all things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in
prayer, believing, yeshall receive.

of praise, and therefore the most miracle affecting 0. new department

appropriate of all places for it was of nature, filled the disciples with
the temple. It was the perfection fresh surprise. They had seen mirof praise, because, beini) an irre- acles wrought on the human body,
preseible outburst of admiration in on demons, on the winds and the
the midst of solemnities which waves, on bread and flesh; but they
were likely to overawe the children, had not until now seen one that
and under the frown of the I?riests took effect on a tree. Their surwhich would ordinarily
frighten prise, though by no means philothem into silence, it was the strong-Isophical.
was not unnatural.
est attestation to the completeness
21. ye shall not only.-It
is
of his triumph.
The quotation is not necessarily implied that they
made with 0. slight variation from would actually wither fig-trees and
Ps, viii. 2.
remove mountains, but that they
should do miracles equally surpriaThe Barren
Fig-tree, 17-22. 'in/! with these. On the nature of
C~1ark xi. 12-14.)
the faith necessary to such miracles,
see the note, Mark xi. !l3
17. Bethany.-A
village on the
22. whatsoever ye shall ask.
eastern slope of the Mount of
Olives, the home of Martha and -This, like all the other promises
Mary, and of Lazarus whom -Jesus to answer prayer, is limited by the
had recently raised from the dead. conditions laid down in the Script(John xii. 1.) Here .Iesus spent ures. (See the note on vii. 7,8.)
the nights of this last week of his
F~
(Luke xxi. 37, 38.)
ARGUMENT OF SECTION 2.
18. he hungered.-IIe
was g(~
ing to the temple, as was customIn this section we have two more
, ary, early ill the morning, before exhibitions of the foreknowledge
the morning meal; hence the hun- of Jesus: one in the minute proger.
phetic description of his own con19. the fig-tree withered.dcmnation and death, and the other
The incident is mOT" accurately in the prediction eoncerning the
narrated and its siuniflcunce made I cup which .Iames and John were
more apparent by Mark.
(See the yet to drink on account. of his
notes, Mark xi. 12-14, 20-26.)
name.
These were predicted by
20. they marveled. - Every, him in terms which prove that he

182

MATTHEW.

[xxi. 23-26.

II And when he WIUI come into

the temple, the chief priests and
the elders of the people came
unto him lUI he WIUI teaching,
and said, By what authority
doest thou these things? and
who gave thee this authority?
"And Je'sus auswered and said
unto them, I also will ask you
one thing, which if ye tell me,

I in likewise will tell you by

what authority I do these things.
16 The baptism
of John, whence
WIUI it? from heaven, or of men?
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say,
From heaven; he will say unto
us, Why did ye not then believe
him?
II But
if we shall say,
Of men; we fear the people;

foresaw them 88 clearly as they

were seen by his disciples when
they transpired.
The section also presents two
more physical miracles, in one of
which is displayed his compassion
toward the unfortunate, and in the
other, his wrath against the hypocritical.
The bright eyes of' the
recently blind, and the active movements of the recently lame, attest
the former, while the withered
leaves falling from the barren figtree in spring time attest the latter.
Resides the double proofs of miraculous power, the section brings
to view a multitude of people who
had witnessed miracles previously
wrought, and who proclaimed his
praise with an extravagance approaching to wildness, while he, as
If unconscious of the kingly honors
conferred on him, sat meekly on the
back of an aS8 colt and thus rode
into the holy city. Who can contemplate this unparalleled combination of facts without exclaiming,
with the exultant multitude and the
irrepressible
children, Hosanna
to the son of David?"

8ar,I6-22; Question about the ReaI1l"

rectiou, 2;j...:la; Qut>Htlon about the
Greatest Commandment,
~(I:
Q,uestlon
about
the Lordsb ip of the
Christ, 41-46.

His Authority Demanded, 23-27.

(Mark xi. 27-33; Luke xx. 1-8.)

23. By what authority.-What

authority tv cast out the traders, 811

he had done on the previous day,
to teach, and to allow himself to be
called the Son of David. As he
was neither a priest nor a civil
ruler, and had not been commissioned either by Ceasar or the Sanhedrim, they denied that he had
rightful claim to the authority which
he exercised.

24, 25. I will ask you.-lt

was absurd and impertinent to ask

him for his authority when his miracles had given an unmistakable
answer;
consequently his reply
was not an attempt to enlighten
them, but to expose their folly.
They had often tried to place him
in a dilemma, and had never suocceded : he sometimes tried the
same with them, and never failed.
He does so on this occuaion by II.Sking them the source of authority
for .lohn's baptism,
SECTION III.
25-27. We can not tell.-They
Dl8PuTATIONS IN THB TEMPLB, XXI.
were forced either to tell a lie,
23-XXII. 46.
which they did, or to acknowledge
the fact that John's baptism Will
Hie Authority
Demanded,
23-27; Par.
able of the Two ~on8, ~;
Parable
from heaven. Had they made thi,
or the Wicked Husbandmen,
33-46;
Parable or the Royal Weddlug, ][][II. acknowledgment they foresaw that
l-U; Q,uestion about Tribute to Ca he would demand of them, Why

oi. 27 -32. ]

MATTHEW.

188

for all hold John 88 a prophet. I likewise. And he answered and

And they answered J etsus, and I said, I go, sir: and went not.
said, We can not tell. And he I'I Whether of them twain did
said unto them, Neither tell I I the will of his father?
Ther
you by what authority I do say [unto him], The first. Jethese things.
sus saith unto them, Verily I
III But what think
ye? A cer- say unto you, That the publitain man had two sons; and he cans and the harlots go into the
came to the first, and said, Son, kingdom of God before you.
go work to-day in [my : the I "For John came unto you in
vineyard
He answered and. the way of righteousness, and
said, I will not: but afterward ye believed him not: but the
he repented, and went. And publicans and the harlots behe came to the second, and said lieved him: and ye, when ye
II

28 "ou &0.

Omitted

Green. Alford. Tregelle.t.

by Tisch.,

81 .In'; &C.

T. S.

then, did you not believe him"

(verse 25), which means not merely,
\vhv did you not believe in .John as
1\ prophet,
but, Why did you not
believe what he said about me'
This second question W!l8 the one
they dreaded; so, fearing to offend
the" people by saying that .Iohn's
baptism WII8 of men, they fell u-r0n
the false and foolish alternative,
We can not tell." The response
of Jesus, "Neither tell I you bl.
what authority I do these things,'
exposed their hypocrisy and at the
tame time made It very apparent to
the people that his authority was
the same 118 John's
Parable of the Two Sons 28-32.
,
28-31. Whether of them twain.
-An obsolete form of expression
Cur oVhich of the two. Neither of
them did in full the will of his
father, but, leaving out of view the
improper answer of the first, and
looking only at hiR subsequent conduct, it W(lS correctly answered that
he did his father's will.
31. publieane and harlots .. ,
before you.-Here
the conduct of
ilie publicans and harlots 118 a cless
ill declared to correspond
with that
of &he fil'llt son, and that of the

Omitted by Lach . Ttsch .

T. B. Green, Alford, Tregellea.

chief priests and elders (verse 23)

to the conduct of the second son.
The assertion that they "go into
the kingdom of God before you,"
does not mean that either party
had already I(one into the kingdom
of God, but it declares the direction
in which they were moving, and
points to the result soon to he atI tained.
The publicans and harlots
had made on!' step in that direction
by believin~ in .lohn (verse 32),
while the priests and elders had
not gone so far as that. The rebuke was a stingin~ one on account
of the contempt With which publicans and harlots were r1arded
by
t~e pr!ests an.d elders, an the great
disparity which had formerly existed between the two clasaes.
32. For John came.-The
precedence declared in favor of the
publicans and harlots had reference,
not to their reception of Jesus. but
to their regard for John. Previous
to John's coming these wicked characters had been like the first son,
saying, I will not," making no pretense of obedience to God, while
the priests and elders had been like
the second son, sayinJt, . I go, Sir,"
making great professions of respect
and obedience.
But when John

184

~JATTHEW.

had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe

him.
A Hear another parable:
There
was a [certain] householder,

n.

83
Ree. Omitted by Lach., TIsch., T.
8. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

[xxi. 33, 34.

which planted a vineyard, and

hedged it round about, and
digged a wine-press in it, and
built a tower, and let it out to
husbandmen, and went into a
far country: and when the
time of the frnit drew near, he

Afterward, when
came uno :"'yhis preaching put both Luke vii. 30.)
parties to the test, the latter "be- they saw the wonderful effect of hi.
lieved him not," made no change in preaching on the lives of the pubtheir conduct; but the former" be- licans and harlots, they should have
lieved him," ~iving up their evil regretted the inconsiderate manner
practices, confessing their sins, and in whieh they had rejected him;
h.eing b:~p.tized for th~ remission of and this regret, had they felt it,
sms.
(1\1. 6; Mark 1. 4.)
would have caused them to re-examrepented not.- The word trans- ine his claims, and, u.s a conselated repented here and in verse 2\1, quenee, to become believers in him.
is not m.etanoeo the one usually 80 Their belief depended on regret Ill!
rendered, but metamelomai.
The one of its remote causes, and 80 dues
former expresses
a change of the belief of all persons in analotho Ilflh t or lIul'lIo.~e, the latter a gous circumstances.
change of feeling.
The latter is
Parable of the Wicked Husbandused in the case of Judas (xsvii. 3),
meT', 33-46.
(Mark xii. 1-12;
who did not repent as sinners are
Luke xx. 9-19.)
required to repent, though he experienced regret even to the degree
33. digged a wine-preS8.-The
of remorse. Regret is its best Eng- wine-presses of the ancients were
lish representative, and by this term literally duq, for they consisted in
Mr. Green renders it throughout an excavation in the solid rock u
his Two-fold New Testament.
The foot or two in depth and several
first son and the publicans and har- feet square.
The grapes were
lots did experience a change of thrown into these excavations and
purpo~e as well as a change of feel- mashed by young men trnmping
mg; but the change of feeling only them with their feet. Another exis expressed in the word, while the cavation lower down the hill side,
change of purpose i~ ascertained whose top was on a level with the
only hy its being implied in their I bottom of the press, received the
subsequent action.
juice Il.8 it ran from the mashed
that ye might believe.-In
the grapee through an orifice provided
statement ye "repented not after- for the purpose.
Robinson deward. that ye mil-(ht believe him." scribes one of these presses which
the dependence of their belief on he saw in .Iuden whose dimensions
previous regret is clearly assumed. were eight feet square by fifteen
Tho nature of the dependence is inches deep, with a vat for the juice
made apP'trent bv the following four feet square and three feet deep.
considerations.
When John first This method of expressing the
came "in the way of righteous- juice is frequently alluded to in the
ness," the chief priests and elders: Scriptures.
(Neh. xiii. 15: Lam.
after a formal inquiry' as to who he i. 15; Iaa. Ixiii, 2, 3; Jer. xlviii. 33
W88, rej""ted him.
(John i. 19-25; et al.)

xxi. 35-43.]

MA'ITHEW.

18t

lent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive

the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and
beat one, and killed another,
and stoned another.
Again,
he sent other servants more
than the first: and they did
unto them likewise. IT But last
of all he sent unto them his SOil,
aaying, They will reverence my
eon. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said
among themselves, This is the
heir; come, let us kill him, and
let us seize on his inheritance.
"And they caught him, and cast
him out of the vineyard, and

slew him.
When the lord
therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those
husbandmen?
(J They say unto
him, He will miserably destroy
those wicked men, and will let
out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render
him the fruits in their seasons.
"Je'sus saith unto them, Did ye
never read in the scriptures, The
stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head
of the corner: this is the Lord's
doing, and it is marvelous in
our eyes?
Therefore sav I
unto you, The kingdom of God
shall be taken from you, aile

built a tower.-The
.Tews lived
in cities and villnges, knowing nothing of the farm life so common in
America. They went to their fields
in the morning and returned at
night, except in times of harvest
and vintage, when the,Y sometimes
slept in the fields. (See Ruth iii
1-7.) This tower was built for protection at such times, and also tor
the purpose of gu:mling the vineyard when necessary.
(Comp. I8a.
v. 1-;)

ure of the stone. In the figure of

the rejected corner-stone, the chief
priests and Pharisece are represented RII trying to build the walls
of a house, but being unable to fit
the stcnea at the corner because they
rejected the only stone that was .cut
for that place. They were guIlty
of this folly in rejecting .lesus while
tryin~ to construct a conception of
the kinzdom of God.
43. 'Therefore say I. - This
verse contains the application of the
parable, and the key to its interpretation.
The vineyard represents
all of the religious privileges granted to the Jews who are the husbandmen, from the beginning of
their history until the kingdom itself was otl'ered to them by Jesus
and afterward by the apostles. The
prophets, from Samuel down to
John, are the messengers sent to
demand the fruits of righteousness j
the Bon who was sent lust is Jesus;
the destruction of the husbandmen
is the final destruction of the .Jewish nationality; and the transfer of
the vineyard to other husbandmen,
the transfer of the kingdom of heaven to the Gentiles.
The kingdom

41. They say unto him.-By

pau.in)! I\t this point and asking his

henrcrs what should be <lone with
those husbandmen, Jesus made them
prunuunce judgment
before they
eaw the drift of the parable, and
\hen in the concluvion (43) he
showed them that they had pronounced judgment again8t themselv o

42. The stone.-By

singular

lrrezulunty of arrangement Jesus

here interrupti! the progress of the
parable to introduce the figure of
the rejected corner-stone; then. in
the next verse, he makes the application of the paruble ; and finally,
at verse 44, he returns to the fig-

16

186

MATTHEW.

[xxi. 44-xxii. 8.

given to a nation bringing forth

the fruits thereof. "And whosoever shall fall on this stone
shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind
him to powder.
'I And
when
the chief priests and Pharisees
had heard his parables, they
perceived that he spake of them.
But when they sought to lay
hands on him, they feared the
multitude, because they took him
for a prophet.
XXII. I And Je'sus answered
and apake unto them again by
para hIes, and said, The king-

dom of heaven ill like unto a

certain king, which made a marriage for his son, I and sent forth
his servants to call them that
were bidden to the wedding:
and they would not come.
'Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which
are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and
my fatlings are killed, and all
things are ready: come unto the
marriage.
I But
they made
light of it, and went their ways,
one to his farm, another to his
merchandise: and the remnant

of heaven was chieflv .Iewish before

the destruction of :Jeru8alem, but
it became, after that event, almost
exclusively Gentile, both in its memo
bership and in the predominant
characteristics of its membership;
and thus it was taken away from
the .Jews and given to a nation
which would bring forth the fruits
thereof.
44. shall faU on this stone.Here the rejected corner-stone is
again brought into view (verse 42),
c. II'
an d a pereon represen""ted as ta
IDg
on it and being" broken;" that is,
breaking some of his limbs. As
Jesus is the stone, falling on it is
coming into conflict with him; and
being broken represents the injurv
which persons who thus fall wifI
sustain.
Jesus warned John the
Baptist against this when he said
to him, Blessed is he who shall
not be offended in me." (xi. 6.)
on whomsoever it shall fal1.The falling of this corner-stone
upon a person evidently symbolizes
the bringing of Christ's power to
bear against the person. Such a
pereon, like a small stone ground to
powder by the fall of a large one,
shall be utterly crushed and ruined
forAver. ThA Pharisees were then

being broken; they were yet to be

ground to powder.
45, 46. they perceived.-II
was easy for them to perceive
that both of the parables were
spoken against themselves : and
though tbey can not have fully
comprehended the import of either,
they saw enough to enrage them,
and but for the people they would
have laid hands on him.
W. d
Parable of the Royal
e ding,
xxii. 1-14.
1. Jesus answered. - He answered, not a question or an argument from them, but their violent
purpose declared by Matthew in the
preceding verse (xxi, 46). The
parable points out, 1\8 did the para.ble of the laborers in the vineyard,
the fate which their violence was
preparing for them
3. 4. to call them that were
bidden.-The
guest!! had been invited before, but no exact time
had been flxed for them to come.
Now they are notified that it is
time to come; that" 0.11 things are
ready."
6-7. the king was wroth.-It
was an insult to the king to treat
hiB invitation with contempt by

nii. 7-14.]

MATTHEW.

took his servants, and entreated

them sJ,litefully, and slew them.
t But
I when the king heard
thereof, he: the king I was wroth:
and he sent forth his armies, and
destroyed those murderers, and
burned up their city.
Then
saith he to hia servants, The
weddin~ is ready, but they whieh
were bidden were not worthy.
Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall
find, bid to the marriage.
10 So
those servants went out into the
highways, and gathered together
., A ,; a. I> /l""L),'~ !la. '0 at a_lAM T. 8. Green. Alford"Tr<:gelles.N, B. L,
I, 22, 118. 209, N. 8yriac. tI&illdic.

going, one to his farm and another

to his merchandise; but to seize
the servanb! who had brought the
kind invitation, and to mistreat and
8lay them, was an act of the most
malignant hostility, justifying, according to the usages of kings, the
most fearful retribution.
8-10. into the highway-s.-The
first invitations had been extended
only to those of suitable rank to be
guests of the king; but now all perIons found on the highwaya, "both
bud and good," are invited, and
they, appreciating the honor conferred on them, accept the invitation, and the kin/!:triumphs in referenoe to the number, if not in reference to the rank of his guests. The
conduct of those first invited brought
ruin on themselves without defeating the purpose of the king.
11, 12. a wedding garment.There is much difference of opinion
among the commentators (see Lange
in loco) as to whether kings and men
of wealth were in the habit of furnishing the proper garment for their
guests on such occasions; but whatever may be the truth on this point,
uu. lEue-t, . hem call"') tiD to aay

187

all as many as they found, both

bad and good: and the wedding
was furnished with guests. II And
when the king came in to see
the guests, he saw there a man
which had not on a wedding
garment:
II and
he saith unto
him, Friend, how cumest thou
in hither not having a wedding
garment?
And he was speechless. 11 Then said the king to
the servants,
Bind him hand
and foot, [and take him a way,]
and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
1& For
13 o.po.n itTb. I, Bee. Omitted by Lach
T. 8. Green, Alford, TregeUea.

why he had not on the wedding

garment, was "speechless," which
shows that he had no excuse.
13. there shall be weeping.In this verse there is a transition
from the symbol to the thing symbolized, beginning with the binding
of the insolent guest, and ending
with the weeping and gneshing of
teeth in outer darkness which are
to befall those represented by the
guest.
14. many- called . few ehosen.-This is the subject illustrated
by the preceding parable.
The
parties first called, who slighted tho
invitation and mistreated the king,
are the Jews.
The words, .He
sent forth his armies and destroyed
those murderers, and burned up
their city," would answer for a description of the destruction of Jerusalem.
The persons called in
(rom the highways are the Gentiles; and the fact that the wedding
was supplied with guests from this
source, after those first invited had
been slain and their city burned.
answers to the fact that after the
destruction of Jerusalem the Church
was filled up almOlltexolullively from

188

MATTHEW.

ing, Master, we know that thou

art true, and teachest the way
of God in truth, neither carest
thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
IT Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give

many are called, but few are

chosen.
U Then
went the Phar'isees,
and took counsel how they might
entangle him in his talk. II And
they sent out unto him their disciples with the Hero'dians, saythe Gentiles, The entrance of the
king to see his guests (11) clearly
represents the final judgment; and
the man without a wedding garment, those who will be found in
the Church without a suitable character. All such, together with all
who reject the gospel invitation,
nrc mnons; the many who are called
but not ehosen ; while the few who
are chosen are those who shall be
found at their PORtsclothed in the
garments of rigutcou-nese.
These
wiIi be few, not absolutelv but relatively; that is, few as compared
with the number that should be
chosen.
Such is the leading train of
thought in the parable, but incidentally it contains other valuable
su~)!;e8tions. The parties who alighted the invitation were moved, a
part of them by indifference born
of business cares (verse 5), and a
part of them by malice (verse 6).
The enemies of the gospel, and those
indifferent to its claims, are both
represented.
Again. the man without the wedding ~arment was guilty
of insolence as well as neglect, and
t!O it is with him v.-!1oholds a place
in the Church without the character of a Christian.
Question about Tribute to Casar,
15-22. (Murk xii. 13-17; Luke
xx. 20-26.)
15. how they might entangle
him.-The
task of a detective who
seeks to =utangle a bad man in his
talk for the sake of exposing him,
is not an enviable one; but to lay
1Iuch snaree for a good man ill truly

[xxii, 15-17

diabolical.

Yet this is what th"

deliberately took counsel
to do, and the wonder is that they
could look each other in the face
while taking counsel for such B
purrose.
16. their disciples with the
Herodians.-The
leading Pharisees
did not themselves go on this detestable mission, for fear that Jesus would
suspect their design: but they sent
theIr" disciples," or pupils, youug
men acquiriug an education like
Paul under Gamaliel; nnd with
them some Herodians.
The Herod ians were political purtisans of
Herod-men
who defended hi" administration again!;t the opposition
of the chief part of his subjects, and
whose services were en~a~ed on thia
occasion in order that they ruight
report promptly to Herod or to
Pontius Pilate any disloynl utterances which might be extorted from
Jesus.
16, 17. Master, we know.Though the plot docs grf'at discredit to the hearts of the Phariseea, it
does none to their shrewdness and
their knowledge of human nature;
its malice is equaled by its eunning. They would try him in a
way which they had never before
attempted; they would compliment
him until they induced him to
speak words which they would :II
most put into his mouth. Their
compliments would be bnsed Oil
characteristics which were ill themselves most admirable, and would
be spoken by persons who came in
the guise of honest inquirers
They say. ":\llUIter we know that

I Pharisees

xxii. 18-21.]

MATTHEW.

tribute unto Cre'sar, or not?

II But
Je'sus perceived their
wickedness, and said, Why
tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
"Show me the tribute money.
And they brought unto him a

18~

penny.
., And he saith unto
them, 'Vhose is this image and
superscription? II They say unto him, Cre'sar's. Then saith he
unto them, Render therefore unto Cre'sar the things which are

you are true, and that you teach the should fail in pressing him to this
way of God in truth, neither do you answer, the alternative which they
care for any man; for you regard left him was to say that the tribute
not the person of men. Tell us, was lawful, and this would be caltherefore, what think you? Is it culated to impair his popularity.
lawful to ~ive tribute to Ceesnr. or
18. Why tem:pt ye me.-Deepnot?"
Thus, his unimp'eachable Iy as they had laid their plot, and
veracity, his truthful exhibition of cunningly as they had approached
the . way of God," his disregard him, they knew, from the first word
of human opposition and of the dis- of his answer, that he saw through
tinctions of rank and power, traits it-that
he detected their design
of character which should have ex- and their lrypocrisy.
cited their admiration, theyendeav19-21. Render therefore.-Afored to employ as instruments for ter showing them that he detected
his destruction.
their design, he proceeds to answer
Is it lawful.-That
is, in accord- their question, first asking them to
ancc with the law of Moses. It show him a piece of the tribute
WIUI Raid in the law, .When thou
money, or the coin in which the
COUIt'.tinto the land which the Lord tributo was paid. The ima~e and
thy God ;.\iveth thee, and shalt pos- superscription were Indicative of
sess it, and shalt dwell therein, and the sovereignty under which the tribshalt say, I will sec a king over me ute was exacted, and the fact that
like IlII all the nations that are this coin was the tribute monev
about me; thou shalt in any wise showed that this sovereignty WRa
set him king over thee whom the here established.
As these were
Lord thy God shall choose' one Cresar's, the answer logically folfrom among thine own brethren lowed," Render to Ceesar the things
shalt thou set king over thee; thou which are Ceesar's." The answer
mavest not set a stranger over thee I is general, and in teaching that
who is not thy brother."
(Deut. tribute must be rendered to those
xvii, 14, 15.) This passage fur- to whom tribute is due, it teaches
nished at least plausible ground for that other obligations to civil rulrefusing to pay tribute to any for- ers are to be discharged as well.
eign potentate, and the idea WRS While thus pronouncing unmistakpopular with the Jews
The Phar- Rbly in favor of paying the tribute,
rsees supposed that .Iesus was in he saves himself from popularJrejsympathy with the people on this udice by adding, and unto Go the
subject, and that the kingdom which things that are God's," asserting, in
he intended tu set up would be in a manner which carried conviction
opposition to Csesar's ; consequently with it, that the payment of en&hey expected him to say that the forced tribute was not inconsistent
vibute was unlawful, and the He- with maintaining complete allegirodia.ns were present to report the ance to God. The answer wa~ not
fact. On the other hand, if they Inconsistent with the statute in
OJ

II

190

MA'ITHEW.

[xxii. 22-28.

em'sar's;
and unto God the
things that are God's.
D When
they had heard these words,
they marveled, and left him, and
went their way.
D The same
day came to him
the Sad'ducees, which say that
there is no resurrection,
and
asked him, saying,
Master,
Mo'ses said, If a man die, having no chilrl reu, his brother shall

marry his wife, and raise up seed

unto his brother.
-Now there
were with us seven brethren: and
the first, when he had married
a wife. deceased, and, having no
issue, left his wife unto his brother: -likewise
the seconu also,
and the third, unto the seveuth.
" Aud last of all the woman died
also. II Therefore iu the resurrection whose wife shall she be

Deuteronomy, for this had reference,

not to enforced subjection by a forei)!;n puwer, but to the voluntary
choice of a king.
22. they marveled and left
him.-They
had several causes for
astonishment: his instantaneous discovery of their plot, his skillful escape from their dilemma, his loyalty to Oeesar while 'proposing himself to establish a kmgdom, and his
insusceptibility to flattery. Amazed
and baffled, they left him and went
their way.

spirite, then there are DO such beings as angels, who are spirits, and
there is no need of a resurrection
of the bod" seeing that there is no
spirit awaiting such a resurrection.
On the other band, if spirite exist,
then there may be such an order of
spirits A.I are called angels, and
there is a demand for the resurreotion of the human body in order
that the disembodied spirit mo.y
again dwell in it, and make use
of its organs of communication and
enjoyment.
24. Master, Moses said.-The
saying is found in Deuteronomy
xxv. 5. The custom of taking a deceased brother's wife when he died
childless, and raising up seed to the
brother, was much older than the
law which gave it divine sanction.
It was observed in the family oC
Jacob long before the ~iving of the
law. (See Gen. XXXVIIi.6-11.)
25-28. whose wife shall she
be.-The
force of the question depended on the assumption thnt the
marital relation would still exist in
the resurrected state, and this a.r
sumption could be denied only hy
one competent to speak authoritatively of that state. On this aecount the Pharisees could not answer the objection satisfactorily.
The case was strongly put; for not
only were seven men supposed who
would have equal claims on the
same woman, but these seven mn
were brothers, between whom a

Question about the Resurrection,

23-33. (~ark xii. 1S-27; Luke
u.27-40.)
23. The same day.-Only
on
one previous occasion have we found
the Sadducees engaged in active opposition to Jesus. (See svi. 1.)
Although, as a party, they were unbelievers, they had participated but
little in the controversy with Jesus
and his friends; but now that all Jerusalem and the multitudes who had
come to the passover were in a
fever of excitement over his pretensions, they too come forward and
try him with their favorite argument against the resurrection of the
dead.
which say
.. no resnrrection.-They
denied not only a resurrection, but also the existence of
ane;els and of spirits. (See Acts
XXIii.8.) All of their errors sprang
'"om the laat: for if there are no

xxii.

29-32.]

MATTHEW.

of the seven r for they all had

her. Je'sus answered and said
unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power
of God.
10 For
in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are
given 'in marriage, but are lIB the

191

angels [of God]

in heaven.
II But
lIB touching
the resurrection of the dead, have ye not
read that which WIIB spoken unto
you by God, saying, h I am the
80 roo e ii &e. OmItted by Lach., T. S.
Greel}J Tre1!:elles, B, D, 2, 209, a, b, c, e, t;

ete.,

t<.

Syilac, Sahidic, Armenian, ale.

wife in oommon, or a Btrife for poll- the term, that God is the God of the
session of her, would appear more dead, is to say he is the God of
incongruous than if the Bevenwere nothing. It would be nonsense.
Itrangers to each other.
But God did Bay, hundreds of
29,30. Ye do err.-Jesusstrikes
yean after the death of the three
their argument in its weak pointpatriarchs, I am the God of
its assumption that marriage would Abraham, and the God of Isaac,
exist after the resurrection.
He and the God of Jacob." (Ex. iii.
declares on his own authority, that 6.) The conclusion follows, that
in tho resurrection they neither these patriarchs were not dead in
marry nor are given in mo.rria~e," the Sadducean sense of the tenn;
but that they will be "as the angels," and as the conclusion applies
among whom there is no marriage. only to their apir ita, it proves that
He also traces their false assump- spirits continue to be alive after the
tion to its source in their ignorance bodies which they inhabited are
of the Scriptures and of the power dead.
of God.
Had they known the
The thoughtful reader may have
Scripture doctrine of the resurrec- observed that the conclusion of thi.
tion, they would have known that argument falls short, in its terms,
it did not involve the continuance of the demands of the subject.
of marriage; and had they known The subject is the resurrection of
the power of God, they would have the dead, while tho conclusion
known that he could raise the afl'ects only the question whether
Io.intswithout those carnal propen- the spirits of the dead are still
sitiee on which marriage is based. n.1ive. We can not escape the ditli31, 32. as touching the resur- culty by supposing, as some have
rection. - Having refuted the ob- done, that the resurrection spoken
jection of the Sadducees, .Jesus of is that of the spirit, not that of
next furnished " proof of the res- the body; for there is no such thing
nrrection. The major premise of as a resurrection of the spirit. The
hisargument is the proposition that spirit does not die, and therefore it
God is not the God of the dead, does not rise from the dead. It
but of the living." Here the term leaves the body as the latter dies,
dead is used in the sense attached I its departure is the immediate cause
to it by the Sadducees. If he had of death, and it departs in the full
been disputing with Pharisees, they I possession of life. Resurrection
eould have answered, He is the God 18 always spoken of in the Scriptof the dead; for Abraham and ures With reference to the body.
Iseae and -Iacob were dead when he How, then, does the Savior's proof
laid" I am their God." But to she that spirits continue to live apart
Badduceee a dead man was non est- from the body, include proof of a
he had ceased to exist, he 11'88 noth- resurreotion?
I t seems quite cering; and to say, in their senee or I tain that the argument appeared

192

MATTHEW.

God of A'braham, and the God

of Tsaae, and the God of Ja'coh?
God is not the God of the dead,
but of the living. And when
the multitude heard this, they
were astonished at his doctrine.
U But when the Phar'isees had

[xxii. 33-36.

heard that he had put the Sad'

ducees to silence, they were
gathered together. II Then one
of them, which WIUI a lawyer,
asked him a question, tempting
him, [and Naying,] Master,
so al Afywy &C.

S. Green, Tregellee.

Omitted

by Lach., T

conclusive to the Sadducees;

for Question about the Great ComJesus assumed that it was 80, and
mandment, 34-40.
(llark xii,
they tacitly admitted the fact, while
28-34.)
the bystanders who knew the views
34. when the Pharisees
had
of the part.; were astonished at heard.-The
rivalry which existed
his doctrine.'
(Verse 33.) In other between the Pharisees and the Sadwords, the Sadducees admitted that ducees caused each to rejoice at the
if the existence of human spirits discomfiture of the other.
When
apart from the body were proved, the Pharisees, therefore, heard thM
the necessity for 11 resurrection
Jesus had "put the Sadducees to
would follow. The argument, then, silence," they were not only" gath.
was conclusive at least to them; but ered together," but they came with
was it no more thun an ad hominem a better spirit and purpose than beargument?
We think not; for fore. This wiII appear IltI we proceed ..
human spirits, having been origi35. a lawyer.-Lawyers
among
nallv created for the exercise of the Jews were not attorneys as with
their powers through the organs of us, but simply men wcIl versed in
a body, must, unless their original the law of MOfles. lIe was a suitnature be changed, which is an in- able person to propound the quesadmissible supposition because un- tion which follows, for he was qual.
supported by evidence, be depend- ilied to judge of the answer.
ent for their highest enjoyment on
tempting
him.The purpose
the poeseesion
of a body.
This of the lawyer, as the nature of hia
being so, the continued existence question imr.Iies, was not to incite
of spirits after the death of the .Iesus to evi , but to test his knowlbody creates a demand for the rCR- edge of the law.
The Pharisees
urrection of the body, and the Sud- had given up the contest in regard
ducees were philosophical enough to his miracles. and now they hoped
to Bee this.
to defeat him in a trial of his knowl33. they were astonished.ed,!!e.
The astonishment of the multitude
36. the great commandment.
arose from two circumstances: first, - The one pre-eminently
~reat.
that -Iesua was at all able to answer Here is exhibited the same concepthe boasted objection of the Saddu- tion with which the rich young
ceea: and second, that he found the man had inquired, "What good
answer in the writings of Moses, thing shall I do that I may have
where it was supposed then, and I eternal life 1" (xix. 16.) The Pharhas been supposed since, that the I iseee themselves had fallen into the
doctrine of a future life is not mistake of suppoRin~ that there waa
taught.
pre-eminent merit m fasting and
pay,ing tithes. (See xxiii, 23; Luk,
xvtii. 12.)

.uii. 37-45.]

MATTHEW.

191

which is the great command- them," saying, What think 1e

ment in the law? IT Je'sus said of Christ? whose son is he?
unto him, Thou shalt love the They say unto him, The son of
Lord thy God with all thy heart, Da'vid.
He saith unto them,
and with all thy soul, and with How then doth Da'vid in spirit
all thy mind. II This is the first call him Lord, saying, '" The
and great commandment. "And LORD said unto my Lord, Sit
the second is like unto it, Thou thou on my right hand, till I
shalt love thy neighbor as thy- I make thine enemies thy footself. OJ) On these two command- stool: 8hal1 have '[YId thine enemies
ments hang all the law and the I beneoilv tlty feet I?
<6 If
Da'vid
prophets.
I 44 .",.,,68, Ree. ." . r Lach., Tisch.'
U 'Vhile the Phar'isees
were' T. B. Green, Alford. Tregelles, N, B. D. o
gathered together, Je'suB asked I ~ic~
r, .1. etc., N. Syr!ac, Coptic. Sahidic'
37, 38. first and great com- all, 80 to keep these two commandmandment. - The commandment menta is to do nIl that is required
cited was not, as the lawyer might by the Scriptures.
He who loves
have expected, taken from the deca- God as required will kepp all of
Iozue, but from 8. comparatively God's commandments, and he who
obscure place in the Pentateuch. loves his neigh hor will fulfill everv
(See Deut, vi. 5.) It is called the obligation to his neighbor,
Th'e
first and great, as the sequel shows I lawyer went away with the idea
(verse 40), not because, apart from not that one specific commandment
all others it is great, but because in of God is more important than anobserving it all others are observed. other, but that the great thing is to
39. second is like.-The second have a heart for doing all that God
was also selected from an obscure commands.
passage (Lev. xix, 18), and was as Question about the Lordship of
little expected as the first. The
the Christ, 41-46.
(.~fark xli.
best explanation of its meaning is
35-37; Luke xx. 41-44.)
that given by Jesus when another
lawyer, conversing on the same
42. What think
of Christ 1
subject, inquired, ",\\Tho is my - It should be, of the Christ.
neighbor?"
Jesus showed him by Waiving, for the time, his own
the parable of the good Samaritan claim to be the Christ, he inquires
that everv man. Hen an enemv. is of them, "What think ye of the
our neighbor, and that to love 'him Christ?"
And to give a specific
as the commandment requires is to aim to his question he adds, "Whose
entertain toward him such feeling son is he?'
It is not, then, a gen118 will cause us to relieve him when eral question about their opinion
in distresa. (See Luke x, 2!l-37.) concerning the Christ. nor is it fit
The Im'e enjoined is a benevolent all a question concerning theigooq-will toward all persons.
opinion of Jesus; hut he inqurrea
40. On these two ...
hang whose son the true Christ must be.
all.-There
is a tacit comparison Their answer was his own answer
of these two commandments to a -he was to he the son of David.
hook in the wall on which are hung
43-45. How then,- The arguall the books of the law and the ment is this: If David in the spirit-
prophets.
A~ the hook supports that is, by inspiration-called
the

re

17

MATTHEW.

194

[uii.46.

then call him Lord, how is he! neither durst any man from that
his son ? And no man was: day forth ask him any more
able to answer him a word, I questions.
Christ his Lord, as he does in the,
passage quoted (PB. ex. 1), how
could the Christ be at the same time
the S01I of David. The two are inconsistent if the Christ is not divine
as well as human.
46. no man was able to an8wer.-They
were not able to answer because they believed not in
the divinity of the Christ. They
supposed that he would be only a
man: they were Unitarians.
By
propounding the question, Jesus
!!:ained two important points: he
showed that the promised Christ
WIlS to be divine,
and he showed
that his own claim to be the Son
of God was in perfect harmony
with his claim to be the Christ. If
Ioeis the Christ, then he is David's
Lord
neither durst any man.v-Bver
sinco his arrival in the city his opponents of every party had plied
him with questions, taxing their
ingenuity" to entangle him in his
talk;" but all their questions had
been answered successfullv, and
some of them had been tu;ned to
his own advuntage.
Finally, he
had propounded to them one question which they could not answer,
and which carried with it an unanswerable argument for his own divinity.
They were so completely
discomfited that they feared to ask
him any more questions.
AROUME!'!T

OF SECTION

3.

The disputations of the preceding

section contain two distinct arguments in favor of Jesus-one based
on the conduct of his enemies, and
the other on his own words.
In
all of these disputations except the
last two, the Wickedness of his enemies is made to appear. In their

---------------------------

I'

answer concerning the source of

John's mission, theIr hypocrisy appears (xxi, 23-27); in the parable
of the two sons it appears again in
unfavorable contrast with the open
wickedness and subsequent repentance of the publicans and harlots
(28-32); in that of the wicked husbandmen, their wanton cruelty, demanding their final destruction, is
made prominent (33-46); in that
of the royal wedding, the indifference of some and the malice of
others (xxii. 1-14); and, finally, the
wickedness of the Pharisees and
the ignorance of the Sadducees are
exhibited in their attem1?ts to entangle him in his talk.
Now, if
the enemies of Jesus had been the
candid and the honest-hearted of
his generation, it would have puz
zled his friends to reconcile this
circumstance with the character
which is ascribed to him, and with
the evidence which he is said to
have placed before them, But seeing that it was the dishonest and
the hypocritical who were his enemies, their characters furnish an
argument in his favor.
The other argument of the section is more direct. In answer to
the demand for his authority, the
latter was proved to be divine; in
the two parables, that of the husbandmen and that of the royal
wedding, his prophetic powers are
displayed by his very clear predic
tion of the destruction of Jerusa
lem and of the predominance of
the Gentiles in the kingdom of
God; while his transcendent wisdom is displayed in his answers to
the questions concerning tribute,
the resurrection, and the great commandment.
The reader should observe that
in this part of Matthew's narrative.

uW. 1-4.]

MATTHEW.

191

XXIII. I Then spake Je'sus

to the multitude,
and to his disciples, I saying, The scribes and
the Phar'isees sit in Mo'ses' seat:
all therefore
whatsoever
they
bid you [observe], that observe

and do i but do not ye after

their works:
for ther say, and
do not.
'I For: .And I they bind
heavy burdens and grievous to
be borne, and lay them on men's
shoulders;
but they themselves
will not move them with one of
8 "fP'" Ru. Omitted by L&ch.,Tiscb.,
T. B. Green\Alford,Tregellea,N, D, L, Z. 1, their fingers.
124, 209, 0 d Latin, VUlgate, N. Syrlac,
Coptic, Bahldlc, ..thloplc. Armenian, 4 ya.p s. U Lach., Tisch., T. 8. Green,
etc.
Allord, Tregellee.
including all from the public entry of
Jesus into the city until his arrest,
Jesus is presented, not as a miracleworker and a fulfiller of prophecy,
but as himself a prophet. His miraclesofpowerwere chiefly, though not
excluaively, wroujrht in Galilee and
Perea, while his miracles of knowledge were wrought chiefly in the
intellectual center of the nation.
Even here, however, as John's nar
rative abundantly shows, had occurred some of the most signal miracles of the former class.
(See
Johnv.I-5;
ix.I-7;
xi. 43-46.)

subject-matter.
Having exhausted
on his hypocritical foes the power
of proof and argument, he proceeds
to deal with them as hopeless reprobates by depicting to the multitude
their true character, and by hr-aping upon them the sentences of
condemnation
whieh were justly
their due.
2, 3. sit in Moses' seat.-He
begins by recognizing his enemies
as teachers of the law of Moses,
and the onlv source of information
on that subject accessible as yet to
the uneducated people.
But his
advice, "All therefore whatsoever
they bid you, that observe and do,"
SECTION IV.
must be understood as limited to
DKNUNCIA.TION
OF THE ScRIBE8 AND things written in the law; for the
PHA.RISEES, XXIII.
traditions which the scribes taught
he had already repudiated.
rilelr Moral Iuconststency, l~ Their
3, 4. do not after their works
Ostent at ton, 5-12; Their conduct
toward
Beltevers and Proselytes, 13-- -'Vhile
their teachin~, so far as it
Ii>;
Their Folly In Refere-nce to was drawn from the law, was to be
Oat hs, 16-22; Their Corruption In
Refe reuce to Tltbes aud Morals, 23, strictly
observed, their example
24; Th~lr Outward
Purtt y and 1,,- was to be carefully avoided, "They
I say, and do Dot." The" heavy bur86; Lamentation
over Jeru~RJem,! dens and grievous to be borne"
87-39
I which they bound and laid on men's
--shoulders, were the traditions which
'
rr
l I.
.t
1 A ,thcy added to the law; for although
Thelr
mora
nCOllS1S ency,
-'0.
'the law itself was a yoke which

~~~d
';r"~~;:r~~~i;~2~~;"I~~:;;(~~~.'~

1. to the multitude
and to' neither they nor their fathers were
his disciples.-Jesus
is still in the able to bear (Acts xv. 10), it could
temple, and in the presence of the not be said of the law that it was
opponents with whom he had been, a. burden which the scribes bound
disFuting, but hs now addresses him- : and laid on men's shoulders. They
sel to the disciples and the multi-: avoided the task of bearing these
tude. The change of his nddress : burdens
themselves, not moving
is accompanied by a change in hill. them with one of their fingers, by

196

MATTHEW

[x~i. 5-7.

But all their works they do most rooms at feasts, and the
for to be seen of men: they chief seats in the synagogues,
make broad their phylacteries, T and greetings in the markets,
and enlarge the borders [of their and to be called of men, Rabbi,
garmentsJ, and love the upper
6 . 1.,.ri AliT".

Bee.

Omitted

by

Lach . Tisch T. S. Green. Alford.

gelle . N. B. D. I. 2.!. Vulgate. etc,

Tre

introducing a class of subtle dis- pIe, in order to apl'~ar more religtinctions like that of the corban 10US than others,
(xv, 4-6), and those in reference to
6. uppermost
rooms. - Not
oaths (verses 16-~2).
rooms in the modern sense, but reO
(M k clininp places (,",P"''''O''X''Ii''~). The
Their
stentation; 5-12.
ar -Iews, in the t'ilvior'R time, like the
xii. 38, 39; Luke xx. 45, 46.)
Greek and Romans, ate their meal.
5. to be seen of men.-While,
in a reclininz
posture,
L.ng
avoiding all heavy burdens, they i couches were provided in their dinperformed Rome works, yet only ing-hnlls, on each of which three
such as would attract the attention persons would usunllv recline. The
of men and secure to themselves first, reclining Oil llis left side,
reputation for piety. These they rested hi~ left elbow on a cushion
carried to an excess, as is seen in at the end of the couch, his feet
the specifloations mentioned below. thrown back toward the rear so tI8
broad their
phylacteries.
to allow another to recli ne just bePhylacter-ies were pieces of parch- low and in front of him. The third
ment with certain portions of the was an equal distance below the
law written on them, and worn second, the head of each being far
usually on the sleeve of the left enough below his neighhor above
arm, though sometimes on the fore- to keep from interfering with the
head, and sometimes on the breast. free use of his hands in eating,
The authority for wt'aring them was The middle position was the poaientirely traditionary, the tradition tion of honor, here called the uphavin/!: its orijrin in a literal inter- permost room, and the Pharisees
pretation of Ex. xiii. 9, ]6, and are charged with loving to secure
Deut. xi. lB-~ l. For a minute de- it.
scription of them, and for some of
chief seats in the synagogues.
the frivolous notions of the Rabhis -At
the end of the synagogue
concerning them, we refer the in- building, opposite to the entrance,
quisitivc to Smith's Dictionary, nrti- was the chest or ark containing the
ale Frontlets. The sin of the Phur- books of the law, and the seats
isees was not in wearing phylac- near that end were tho" chief seats
teries, for it was in itself a harmless in the syna)!ogue."
practice, hut in making theirs broad
7. greetings in the markets.
for oxtentatious display.
-Not markets in the modern sense.
enlarge the borders.-The
chil- but open spaces in the city to which
dren of Israel were required by the the populace resorted for conversalaw to make frin)!es in the borders tion and for business transactions
of their garments, and to put upon of various kinds. and where judithe fringes "a ribband of blue." cial tribunals often held their sit(Num. xv, 3i-39.)
The Phariseesj tinga. There WM one such in evmade these, ItS they did their phy- ery city, called by the Greeks the
lacteries, larger than did other peo- agora, and by the Romans, the

xxiu. 8-13.J

l\IATI'HEW.

Rabbi. But be not ye called

Rt."bi: fur one is your Master,
reven Christ]; and all ye are
Fnethren. And call no man
) our father upon the earth: for
cne is your Father, which is in
8 h Xpurr6< Re Omitted by Lach , TIsch.,
r B Green, Alford, Tregelles, B, etc, N
8yrlac, P bynliC, Ph Syrl8.c.

furum
The Pharisees delighted
in the formal greetings and salutations which were here lavished on
men of distinction
by the fawning
multitude

8-11. Rabbi ...

father ...
master.- The ostentation which

showed itself in the dress of the

Pharrsees
and in therr greediness
for popular applause. was also seen
in their fondness for honorary titles
Rabin
means teacher, but it was
used not merely to point out the
fact that one was a teacher, but as
a title of honor, and it is only the
latter use of it that is here prohibited
The apostles frequently apphed the title teacher to those who
were such in the churches
(See
ActRXlli 1,1 Tim ii 7, 2Tim i 11 )
The term father was also applied
fi)!ur,\tively by P aul to himself, when
he Mid to the Corinthrans, " You
have not many fathers,
for in
Christ Jesus I have begotten you
through the p;uspel"
(1 Cor iv
15)
lie also called Timothy his
.own 80n in the faith," thus by
implication
cnlhng
himself Tirnot"~'. father
lIe had reference in
ea;'h of these cases to his actual reluuonship in the /!:ospel to these
parties, hence It is the merely honorary use of the term which ISprohibited So of the title .llaster(xa,9'1Y'7f'Q,I"
leaders),
ItS use in an honorary or
complimentary style is alone prohibited Our modern titles, Reverend,
Right Reverend, Doctor of Divinity,
etc , are all of the prohibited class
and should he scrupulously avoided

191

heaven. 10 Neither be ye called

masters: for one is your Master,
even Christ.
lIBut he that is
greatest among you shall be
your servant. !lAnd whosoever
shall exalt himself shall be
abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
ISBut woe unto YOll, scribes
by men who desire to please God.
Alford, in this place, combating a
note by Albert Barnes, says that
to understand
and follow such
commands in the slavery of the letter, IS to fall mto the very Phariseeism against which our Lord ill
uttering the caution"
This remark
would be unaccountable but for the
fact that the learned commentator
was himself a dignitary in a church
which has been peculiarly /!I\en to
the practice here condemned
~urely It can not be Pharrseeism
to
scrupuloualy
avoid that for which
the Phur-isees
were condemned j
and in repudiating
all honorary
titles we are complying with the
spirit of the command even more
certainly than with the letter, for
in the letter only three such titles
are specified

11, 12. shall be your servant.

-In these two verses the meekness

becoming a Christian is put in contrast with the ostentation of the
Pharisees, and the consequences of
both are stated
The pathway to
true greatness is found in humble
service for others, wlule self-exaltation insures abasement
The results are brought about providentially in this world, and judicially
in the world to come.
Their

Conduct toward Behever

and Proselytes, 13-15

13. ye shut up the kinlfdom.

-Here
the term" shut up' (,...
'f") is used metaphorically.
for
the scribea and Pharisees eould n.,t

198

MATTHEW.

and Phar'isees,
hypocrites I for
ye shut up the kingdom of
heaven
against men:
for ye
neither go in yourselves, neither
Buffer ye them that are entering
to go in.
I" \V oe unto you,
scribes and Phar'isees,
hypocrites I for ye devour widows'
houses, and for a pretense make
long prayer:
therefore ye shall
recei ve the greater damnation.]
14 Omitted by Laob., Tlscb., T. B. Green.
A \ford, Tregelles, N. B, Dt-". Z. 1,28, 33, 118,
209, 346. Armenian, etc., Euseblan Canone.

[xxiii. 14-17.

J8

Woe unto you, scribes and

Phar'isees,
hypocrites I for
compass sea and land to m e
one proselyte, and when he is
made, ye make him twofold
more the child of hell than yourselves.
I. Woe
unto you, ye blind
guides, which say, Whosoever
shall swear by the temple, it is
nothing;
but whosoever shall
swear b, the gold of the temple, he IS a debtor!
II Ye fools
U

literally shut up the kingdom of

heaven. There is a tacit comparison
of the kingdom to a walled oity,
and of the conduct of the Pharisees
to men standing I1t the I!:atebut refusing to go in, and shutting the
e:ate against those who would ~o in.
'rhe application is easy. Their refusal to go in represents their refusal to accept the doctrine of the
kingdom of Christ; and their shutting the gate, their efforts to keep
those who would accept this doctrine from doing so. To argue
from this passa~e, as some have
done, that the kmgdom of heaven
must have been already set up, is
illogical, because the figure is as
well suited to a kingdom about to
be established as to one already in

of God. To compass sea and land

for the former purpose would have
been most commendable, for it
would have made men better; but
for the latter purpose it was deplorable, because it made men worse.
(~ee a fine article on Proselytes, in
Smith's Bible Dictionary.)
twofold more.- Their proselyte.
were worse than themselves, because it is the tendency of corrupt
systems to make their adherents
worse and worse, generation after
generation; and also because the
proselyte, having, as a general rule,
less knowledge of the law than his
teacher, was under less restraint
from that source, and was more
completely devoted to the tradition.
of the sect.

existence.

T heir Folly in Reference to Oath,

16-~2.

14. - This verse is omitted, as

appears in the critical note, by the
recent critics and hy some of the
best manuscripts.
It was interpolated from Mark xii. 40, or Luke
xx. 47, in both of which places it
is genuine. We will consider it at
the 'proper place in Mark.
Hi. to make one proselyte.Not a proselyte from heathenism
to the worship of the true God, but
a Jewish proselyte to the sect of
the Pharisees-to
the traditionary
observances and corrupt practices
whioh they exalted above the word

16, blind guides.-In

this pal'agraph the denunciatory term is not
hypocrites, as above and below,
but" blind guides," "ye fools and
blind;" for here it is not AO much
their hypocrisy as their folly whioh
is exposed.
17-19. whether ill greater.The first point made against their
teaching is that it reverses the relative importance of things. They
esteemed more highly the gold of
the temple (16) than the temple

xxiii.

18-24.]

MATTHEW.

and blind: for whether is greater,

the f;old, or the temple that
sanctifieth
the gold?
11 And,
Whosoever shall swear by the
altar, it is nothing;
but whosoever swearetb b, the gift that
is upon it, he 18 guilty.
11 Ye
rfools and] blind: for whether
18 greater, the gift, or the altar
t118t sanctifieth the gift? Who-.
so therefore shall swear by the
altar, sweareth by it, and by all
things thereon.
11 And
whoso
shall swear by the temple, swear19

/o<

TlBch .

~o,
T. Green.
~Cli

il.

Rec.

Omitted bv Lach.,
Alford. Tregelies.

which gave that gold all its sacredness; and the gift at the altar. than
the altar which made the ~ift holy
by its touch. (Ex. xxix. 37.)
20-22. whoso shall 8wear.Here the people were taught the
binding nature of everv oath, and
both the folly and wickedness of
the distinction made by the Phariaees.
Their Corruption in. Reference to
Tithes and Morals, 23, 24.

23. tithe of mint.-The articles

here mentioned, mint, anise, and
eumrnin, were garden herbs grown
in small quantities and used chiefly
for flavoring. To pay tithes of
these wns to be scrupulous to the
last farthing, for the tithe was
scarcely worth the trouble of removing it from the garden.
the
weightier
matters. Weightier matters than paying
tithes, because the interests of societv are more deepl~ involved in
them. " Judgment.' means hero
right judgment of our fellow-men;
mercy," forbearance toward the
guilty and compassion toward the'
adering.
" Faith." is both the belief of the truth and habitual manifeat&tion of that belief in the life.

199

eth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

And he that
shall swear by heaven, sweareth
by the throne of God, and by
him that sitteth thereon.
- Woe unto you, scribes and
Phar'isees, hypocrites I for ye
pay tithe of mint and anise and
cummin, and have omitted the
weightier matters of the law,
judgment,
mercy, and faith:
these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone. M Ye blind guides, which
strain at a gnat, and swallow a
camel.

The Pharisees omitted these habitually, and especially had they done
so in reference to .Iesus. They {'ronounced unjust judgments agamst
him; they were unmerciful toward
him in reference to the faults which
they pretended to find in him; and
they had no faith either in his
word or the words of the prophets
which were written of him. Greater
extremes, of conscientiousness in
some things and unrighteousness in
others were never, perhaps, united in
the same persons; nor has such wickedness ever been exposed in terms
more felicitous than these words of
Josus. They huve become household words wherever the gospel ill
known.
these ought ye.-It
is not uncommon to understand .Iesus as
teaching in this paragraph that it is
not important to bo partIcular about
small matters, provided we observe
the weightier matters. But while
he says in reference to the latter,
"These ye ought to have done," he
says of the former, "and not to
leave the other undone."
They
should not have left undone even
the tithe of mint, anise, and cummin.
24. strain at a gnat.-Greek.

200

MATTHEW.

[xxiii. 25-29.

III'Voe unto you, scribes and! scribes and Phar'isees, hypoPhar'isees, hypocrites! for ye I crites! for ye are like ~nto
make clean the outside of the I whited sepulchers, which indeed
cup and of the platter, hut with- appear beautiful outward, but
in they are full of extortion and are within full of dead men's
excess. "Thou blind Phar'isee, bones, and of all uncleanness.
cleanse first that which is with- 28 Even so ye also outwardly apin the cup [ and platter], that pear righteous unto men, but
the outside of] them: it 1 may be within ye are full of hypocrisy
clean also. .1 Woe unto you, and iniquity.
26 .ai T~' "apo"'i~ Reo.
Omitted by
'Voe unto you, scribes and
Tis~h .. T. S. Green, Alford, D, 1, 209, a, e. etc. Phar'isees,
hypocrites! because
26 aim;,. Reo. aioTOV Lach., Tisch., T. S. ye build the tom L of the prophGreen,

Alford,

Tregelles.

"strain out a gnat." Reference is

had to the custom of straining wine
as it was poured into the drinkingcup, lest a gnat, which was an unclean insect, should be swallowed.
While thus particular about the
gnats, if a camel were in the cup
they would swallow him. The hyperbole is an extravagant one, but
the more impressive on that account. The fault exposed does not
consist in straining out the gnat,
but in swallowing the camel. Jesus would have us to swallow neither the camels nor the gnats.
Their Outward Purity and Inward Corruption, 25-28.

""

sults: and so, if a man purify himself inwardly he will be pure extern ally, and far more certainly
than in the case of the cup. He
who aims at external purity of life,
should therefore exert himself
chiefly to cleanse that which is
within, that the outside may also
be clean.
27, 28. like whited sepulchers,
--Jesus still has his eye on the
wickedness of their hearts, but he
now contrasts it, not with their care
about tithing, nor with their legal
cleanliness, but with their pretense
of righteousness.
(28.)
While
they maintained such outward conduct as gave them great credit with
the people, like the beautifuJIy
whited sepulchers which were" full
of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness," they were full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Their Imitation of the AncientPersecuiors, 29-30.

25. clean the outside. -The

reference is to their traditionary
ablutions, such as had caused them
to find fault with him when his disciples ate bread with unwashed
hands. (See xv. 2; Mark vii. 3, 4,
8.) Their conduct is satirized by
comparing it to that of 1\ woman
who would carefully cleanse the
29-31. Wherefore ye be witoutside of a cup or plate, and leave nesses.-Theargument
is obscure.
the inside unclean; but when he In building the tombs of the prophcomes to speak of the inside he eta and garnishing the sepulohers
passes from the figure to the re- of the righteous, and also in their
ality, and sa,Ys, "within they are speech-" If we had been in the
full of extortion and excess."
days of our fathers, we would not
26. that the outside may be have been partakers with them in
clean.-Cleo.nsing
the inside of all the blood of the prophets "-they
cup would not nccessarily cleanse were acting and speaking comthe outaide. vet ordinarifv it 80 re- , mendably; but in this very speech

xxiii. 30-36.]

:\IATTHEW.

201

ets, and garnish the sepulchers,

of the righteous, 10 and
say,
If we had been in the days of
our fathers, we would not have
been partakers with them in the
blood of the prophets. It Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children
of them w hich killed the prophets. 51 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. U Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers,
how can ye escape the damnation of hell? U \Vherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets,
and wise men, and scribes:

34 Ka< Rec, Omitted by Lach.,

T. !l. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

they were acknowledging themselves to be the children of those

who persecuted the prophets, and
Jesus uses that circumstance against
them
They were themselves witneases that thcy were children of
those persecutors, and he argues
that notwithstanding
their good
professions, they, as children, inherited the very character which
they were repudiating
Furthermore, by the term hypocrites"
with which he addresses them (29),
he assumes that all their good proCessions were hypocritical.
32. Fill up the measure.-The
accumulating iniquity of the nation is represented as a measure
which their fathers had provided
and partly filled, and which they
WN'e now to fill to the brim.
(Compare what is said of the .Am
orites, Gen xv 16.)
33. how can ye escape.-This
is the most fearful passage in the
entire sper-ch Ye serpents lYe
offspring (y,,,.;,u,u(l) of vipers I"
What words c~uld depict a more
despicable character?
And what
lentence pronounced in advance of I'
the final judgment can be compared
with this: "How can ,1e escape
the damnation of hell?
By the

figure of erotesis it is asserted with

awful emphasis that for them there
was no escape. It is well remarked
by .Alford that in this, the last public discourse of the Lord, he repeats almost verbatim the denune iation pronounced against these
parties by John in the beginning
of his ministry, thus denotmg the
unchanged state of these men on
whom the whole preaching of repentance had now been expended .
He notes one point of difference,
however, that John demanded of
them, Who hath warned 'ou to
flee from the wrath to come?' while
Jesus demanded, "How can you
escape 1.
34. I send unto you,-Tho
"prophets, wise men, and scribea
here mentioned are the apostles and
their colaborers, whom Jesus intended to send, and who are designated by titles familiar to his hearers
35, 36. That upon you may
come.-The expreSSIOn,..upon you
may come all the righteous blood,"
etc, can not mean that they would
be held responsible for it all, for
they could not be responvihle for
what occurred before th~y. w~re
born
But that course of iniauiw

rand] some of them ye shall

kill and crucify; and some of
them shall ye scourge in your
synagogues, and persecute them
from city to city: U that upon
you may come all the righteous
blood shed upon the earth, from
the blood of righteous A'bel unto
the blood of Zachari'as son of
Barachi'as, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Be Verily I say unto you, All
these things shall come upon
this generation.
TI.och.,

202

~lA'ITHEW.

IT 0
Jeru'salem, J eru'salem,
thou that killest the prophets,
and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I
have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings,

[xxiii, 37-89.

and ye would not I Behold,

your house is left unto you deeolate, For I say unto you,
Ye shall not see me henceforth,
till ye shall say, Blessed is he
that cometh in the name of the
Lord.

whioh began with the murder of with the force of the argument; but
Abel, and which, 80 far as the otherwise we shall be constrained
.Jows were as yet concerned, had to think that the prophet Zachari
terminated with the death of Zach- ah is the one alluded to, and that
arias, was to reach its final con- he was slain as is declared in the
summation in that generation by text.
the crucifixion of Jesus; and the
Lamentation over Jerusalem, 37-39.
series of earthly judgments which
had been visited on the world on
37. and ye would not.-The
account of such bloodshed, was also inimitable tenderness and pathos
to reach its consummation by the which breathe through this Iamenunparalleled sufferings attendant tation, following immediately the
upon the siege and destruction of burning denunciations of the preJerusalem.
All these things came ceding speech, show plainly that the
upon that generation in the sense latter were not instigated by malice.
that the consummation of earthly They werejudicial utterances wrung
punishments for such deeds befell from a heart full of longings in bethat generation.
half of the people denounced. NotZacharias
son of Baraohias, withstanding the killing of the
-The only person mentioned in prophets and the stoning of heaventhe Old Testament by this name is sent messengers in times gone by,
Zechariah the prophet (Zech. i. 1); his feeling toward them now WWl
but if he perished in this way like the maternal tenderness of the
there is no other record of the fact hen when she nestles her brood
now extant.
Zachariah the son under her wings; and the only obof Jehoiada was stoned in the stacle to their salvation was, that
court of the house of the Lord," they" would not." A stubborn will
and it may be "between the tem- was, with them, as it is so likely to
pie and the altar;" but he would be with us, the only hindrance to
not be confounded with Zechariah the saving favor of God.
the son of Barachiah.
It is con38. your house is left.-In
the
jectured by Alford that the text persoDlfication," 0 .lerusalem, Jeruwas originally written, 8.8 in Luke i salem," etc., the people of the city
xi. 51, without the words son are addressed, and consequently
of Harachiah," and that copy- their" house" must be the city in
ists at an early period inserted which they dwelt, and not the temthese words through 8. mistaken I pie which belonged to all Israel. It
desiro to make the reference more I was to be left desolate by his departdefinite. If this conjecture shall be I ure to return no more until the time
found, on further investigation, to indicated in the next verse.
be correct, we shall conclude that
39. till ye shall say.-The refsome more recent Zachariah is erence can not be to the return
meant, and this would agree better of Jesus after hi. resurrection, nor

xxiv. 1-2.]

){ATTHEW.

XXIV. I And Je'sus went

out, and departed from the ternpIe: and his disciples came to
him for to shew him the buildinp of the temple.
sAnd
IJe'sus: he anBt.Oeringl said unto

203

them, See ye not all these

things? verily I say unto you,
There shall not be left. here one
stone upon another, that shall
2

'l1)CToi)(

1Uc.

en

d..o'9'8
. ~lf Laoh.,

Tl.8ch., T. 8. Green, Alford, TregeUee.

to what might be figuratively styled

SECTION V.
his appearance on the next PenteDESTRUCTION
OF THE TOPLE
PRaeost: (or on neither of these oecaDlCTED, XXIV. 1-28.
aions did the people of the cit,Y in
general welcome him; but it IS to Occastou of the Prediction, 1-8' "'arnIng agalnRI Fa lse Chrrsts, 4, 5; Wan
his final coming, when, D.8the preanu Provtdeutf al Calam tues, 6-8;
diction c1earlllmplies, the city will
!:!utferlngs and Succe of the DIscontain a beheving population, and
ci ples, 11-14; The Signal for ~'lIght
and the Greatness
of the Trlbulawill welcome him, D.8the multitude
t ion, 1(>,22; Another
W arntng agalust
had done at the time of his pubI<'alHe Chrtsts
and False
Prophets,
23-211 .
lic entry, with the acclamation,
Hlessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord."
Occasion
the Prediction, 1-3.
(Mark xii], 1-4; Luke xxi, 5-7.)
AROUlIENT OF SECTION 4.

0/

1. went out and departed.-

Tho arl!ument for the claims of Went out of tho temple and de.lesus implied in the preceding sec- parted from its vicinity. This was
tion is identical in part with that his final departure from the temple,
of the third section (see Argu- and the preceding discourse denunment of ~ 3, p. Hl5), but it is ciatory of the scribes and Pharihere more elaborately presented. sees contained the ID.8twords which
If his enemies had been the honest he spoke therein-sad
foreshadowand candid men of his I!eneration, ing of the doom which impended
it would have been diffioult to over the unhappy city.
reconcile this fact with the suppoto show him the buildings.sition that his character was umm- As he had already departed from
peachable and his miracles un- the temple when the disciples came
questionable.
Hut when we find to show him the buildings of the
what is AO clearlv disclosed in this temple, the buildings referred to
chapter, that his" enemies were the must have been the walls and forhypocrites, the arrogant pretenders, tifications surrounding the outer
the zealous partisans, the extenua- court and constituting the defenses
tors of perjury, the perverters of of the temple. They were very
morals, the extortioners, the un- massive and well calculated to exclean at heart, and the bloody per- cite the admiration of the Galilean
socutora of innocent men, the argu- disciples.
ment is reversed, and the character
2. one stone upon a.nother.of the opposition is found to be no The reply of Jesus to the admiring
mean proof of the righteousnesS' of I expressions of the discirles was as
Jesus. A man of spotless purity brief as it was astoniahing, With
and of unoomprorniaing zeal against the simple statement that "there
all iniquity is the very man to arouse shall not be left here one stone
&he enmity of such people.
upon another that shall not be

I
I

204

MATTHEW.

not be thrown down. And lUI

he sat upon the mouut of Ol'ives,
the disciples came unto him
privately, saying, Tell us, when
shall these things be? and what
shall be the sign of thy coming,
and of the end of the world?
And J e'sus answered and said
unto them, 'fake heed that no
decei
6F
man ecerve you.
or mauy

[xxiv. 3--7.

shall come in my name, saying,

I am Christ; and shall deceive
many.
I And ye shall hear of wars and
rumors of wars: Bee that ye be
not troubled:
for I all these
things: tllRYl must come to pass,
but the end is not yet. T For
6 ,,6.'4 &C. Omitted
Green, Tregelles.

b)' Lach.,

T. B.

thrown down," be dropped the sub- of this chapter and ends with chapject until the astonished disciples ter twenty-fifth.
brought it up again.
r;o
C
3. as he sat upon the mount.rr arning Against Fatse
krists,4;
Struck dumb by Iris announcemcnt,
5. (Mark xiii. 5, 6; Luke xxi. 8.)
the disciples seem to have said no
4, 5. many shall come.-They
more until, having climbed the were to come previous to the end
slope of the Mount of Olives, on the (verse 6), and were to come claimway toward Bethany, .Iesus took a ing to be the Christ, thus denving
spat and looked back over the city. the Christhood of Jesus.
'Ve Lave
Thr-n they come to him" privately"
no history of the appl'arance of
and ask, "When shall these things such persons, * but this furnishes
bo, and what shall be the sign of no evidence against the fulfillment
thy coming and of the end of the of the predictlon; for even Jesus
world?" Their question is twofold, does not appear in secular history
having reference first to the time, until after bis Church had becume
and secondly to the sign by which a power in the world; and a~ the
they might know that the event I false Christs left no institutions
was near. He had said nothing behind them, they naturally escaped
about his own comin$ or the end the notice of the historians of the
of the world, but they inferred from time.
the strength of the temple walls Wars and Providential Calamithat the time when all these stones
would be thrown down could not
ties, {)...S. (~arlr. xiii. 7,8; Luke
be sooner than the end of the
xxi. 9-11.)
world and the second coming of the
6, 7, wars and rumors
of
Son of man. 80 much of this in- wars.-N
ot wars in distant nations,
ference as was incorrect he cor- but wars particularly affecting the
rected in the course of his answer : Jews, as appears from the warning,
for he makes a very clear distiue- "see that ye be not troll bled" (verse
tion, as we will see, between the 6), and from the fact that the comtime of his final coming and that ing trouble of the Jew8 was the
of tbe destruction of the temple. subject of discourse.
The nations
The question had been propounded I and kingdoms which were to rise
by the four fishermen, Peter, James, up against each other were those
John, and Andrew (Mark xiii. 3), ,
and only these four were present
to hear the remarkable discourse
'See Josephus, Wan. B. II. en. %1\1.
hi h be .
. h h f
h
I U., e. for the nearest approach to .urb
'"
IC
gInS WIt t e ourt verse bl.tory.
TTT

1-------

..nv.8-11]

MATTHEW.
up to be afflicted, and shall kill
you: and ye shall be hated of all
nations for my name's
sake,
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets
shall

nation shall rise against nation,

and kingdom against kingdom:
and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes,
in
divers places.
I All
these are
the beginning of sorrows.
'Then shall they deliver you

wbo~e military movements would the end" mentioned in verse 6,

affect tho peace of Judea. History Peter. James the elder. James the
is more satisfactory in reference to younger, Paul, and 0. p:reat many
this prediction than in reference to who were not apostles, having been
the false Chri,ts. Alford, in com- killed before the destruction of the
menting (In this paragraph, takes temple.
the pnins to enumerate three threats
hated
of all nations.-That
of war made lI;.!:ainstthe Jews by as this part of the prediction was fulmany Roman emperors; three up filled, appears not only in the perri,in~s of Gentiles against Jews. secutions of the time, but in the
in Which runny thousands of the statement of the Roman historian
latter per ished ; an indefinite num ber Tucitus, that the Christians were
of famine. referred to by Roman a class of men hated on account
writers; nt least one pestilence, of their crimes." (Annals, xv. 44.)
durin)! which thirty thousand per10. many be offended.-~Ially
sons perished in Rome alone; and of the disciples themselves. The
five earthquakes.
These have been mere allusions to passinp: events
gleaned from the writings of which we find in the epistles gi\ e
Josephus, Tacitus. Suetonius, nnd sufficient evidence that this pred icother unbelieving writers. and they tion was fulfilled. For example,
sufficientlv attest the literal fulfill- among the sufferings of Pall I, "pre
ment (If the Savior's prediction. some nt the hnnds of false breth rr-n
Tbis fulfillment served the double I (2 Cor. xi. 26); the Galatian d ispurpose of answer-ing as a sign in ciples were taught by false tea-hers
reference to the destruction of the to regard him as an enemy (00.1.
temple. and of confirming the faith iv. 16); lind some persons in the
of the disciples in the foreknowl- church at Corinth denied his
edge of .Iesus.
authority and sought to bring him
rr .
.
into contempt (1 Cor. ix. 1-4 2
S IIj~er1ng and Succe .s 0.r..~he D1S- Cor. x. 1. 10).
'
ciples, 9-14. (Mark XliI. 9-13;
11
false
h t
Luke xxi. U-19.)
ITh . l!latlny f P prohP e tSh'-t
e eplS es 0
aul s ow
a
9. Then shall they deliver many false prophets did ar ise. He
you.-" Then" means. not after the: speaks of men in the Jerusalem
prel'cdinl!; events, but at the time I church who were "fal.e brethren
III which they are transpir-ing. The
unawares brought in, who came in
deliver inz up to he nfflieted COIIl- r.ri\ily to spy out our liberty." (Gnl,
men ..d with the impr isonmen t (If ii, 1-4.) In Corinth there "ere
Peter und .lolm (Acts iv. 1-3), and "fal~e apostlee. deceitful workers,
the killinjr. with the death of ~transforming themselves into the
Stel'hen. Thl'he porsecut ions were apostles of Christ," and ministers of
coternporary with the events of the tlatan transformed into ministers
nreceding paTngraph. and preceded of righteousness. (2 Cor. xi. J3-1? )

206

MATTHEW.

[xxiv. 12-16

rise, and shall deceive

many. I be saved And this gospel oftbe
And
because
iniquity
shall kingdom shall be preached in aY
abound, the love of many shall the world for a witness unto all nawax cold. ISBut he that shall en- tions; and then shall the end come.
dure unto the end, the same shall
16 When ye therefore
shall see

The same apostle warns Timothy

against similar characters (1 Tim.
i. 3-7, 19,20; 2 Tim. iii. 8, 9), and to
Titus he writes, "There are many
unruly lind min talkers and deceivers, apecially they of the oircumcision ; whose mouths must be
stopped, who subvert whole houses,
teaching: thini!;8 which they ou~ht
not for filthl, lucre's sake." (Tit. i.
10, 11.) 'I he testimony of Peter
and Jude is also very explicit on
the same point, for they speak in
words of terrifyin,!!; earnestness
concerning bad churacters infestiug the churches, . wandering stars
to whom is reserved the blackness
of darkness forever." (Jude, and 2
Pet. ii.)
12. love of many shall wax
cold.-I t is the universal experience of the Church, that when
iniquity
abounds the love of many
grows cold; and it is also true that
under such circumstnnr-e-,
the love
of some grows warmer, thus reserving and concentrating a sufficient
amount of warmth to produce a reaction by and by, and to save the
bndv from utter destruction.
13. endure to the end.-The
elll\ here referred to is not the end
of the city and tho temple; for
endurance to this end was impossible with those who were killed
for the truth, and those who died
a natural
death; nor would endurance to the end of the city insure salvation. unless the salvation
promised
is salvation from the deti
f liflie a t ten d an t on th e
S t ruc IOn 0
.
d
cit y; an d to
steze an sac kimg 0 f thee Cl
Hay that he who endured to the end
of that destruction would be saved
from it would be a mere truism.,

The end, then, is not the end mentioned before in verse 6, but the
end of life; and the promise is,
that he who would resist the false
prophets, and would not allow his
love to be cooled by the abounding
iniquity, until the end of his life,
would be saved. (See the same
promise in x. 22.)
14. then shall the end come.Here the nature of the case forbids
us to understand" the end" as the
end of life, just II.S, in the preceding verse, it requires this meaning.
Here it is used again in the sense
of verse 6, for the destruction of
the temple, or, as the apostles had
expressed
it, "the end of the
world (a..:",~,a,qe), verse 3. That
the gospel was "preached
in all
the world" before that event, is
declared by Paul when he says,
"Be not moved away from the
hope of the gospel, which VOII have
heard, and which was preached to
every creature
which is under
heaven." (Col. i. 23.) Of course
the language of both Jesus un-I
Paul must be understood with reference to the Geography of the
earth as then known;
and we
should doubtless also understand
Paul Il.8 meaning, not that every
creature had actually heard the
gospel, but that it had been preached 80 univcrHalllll.8 to be access ible to all. Paul s declaration WI\II
written in the year 63 A. D., about
Beven years before" the end."
Th
S'
I fi
ru hi 15-9
e
--..
('I
kluna ... or
14-20 19,L k
-'
ar
XIII.
;
U e XXI.
20-')4 )
- .
15. the abomination
of desolation.-~hny
conflicting
inter-

mv.

16-20.]

MATI'HEW.

the abomination of desolation,

spoken of by Dan'iel the prophet, stand III the holy place,
(whoso readeth, let him understand i) 1. then let them which
be in J udse'a flee into the mountains: IT let him which is on the
housetop not come down to take
Iany thing: Ute things I out of'

201

his house: U neitherlet him which

is iu the field return back to take
his clothes. l' And woe unto
them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those
days I 10 But pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter,
17 Bee. T4 Lach., TIl!Ch., T. 8. Green,
Alford, Tregelles.

pretations of this p8.8sage have: two evangelists addressed to their

been suggested by tLe commenta-' own readers . In favor of the latter
tors (see Alford for a. statement of supposition is the consideration that
them); but after considering them I a reader of Daniel, unless guided
all, I am constrained to adopt the by this speech of JeRu8, could not
one most commonly received. It is I understand
the abomination of
derived from It. comparison of this desolation 8.8the sign which -Iesus
verse with the parallel in Luke, here makes it, while the reader of
where the idea is expressed in un- the gospel narrative would if he
figurative language: When you would only accept the words of
shall !leeJeru!lalem compassed with Jesus. Moreover, Mark, in his rearmies, then know that the desoln- I port, does not mention the writings
tion thereof is nigh." (Luke xxi. lor name of Daniel (see Murk xiii.
20.) The armies referred to are 14, critical note), and this makes it
unquestionahly the Roman armies almost certain that this remark does
which tinally besieged and destroy, not refer to the reading of Daniel.
ed the city. They are called the We conclude, then, that the parenabomination of desolation because, thesis was thrown in bv Mutthew
being heathen armies, they were an and Mark to fix the attention of
abominntion to the .Jews, and be- their readers on the pussaue, so that
cause they brought desolation on those Christians who would be in
the country. The" holy place" in Judea at the time might remember
which they were to stand is the' the sign and flee us here directed.
holy territory round about the holy
16. flee into the mountains.city. It is a reuuukahle confinna-I This direction is given, not to men
tion of this interpretation, that I in general, but to Christians who
Josephus attaches the same signifi- would be "in Judea." They were
cance to the words in question. to flee to the mountains, because
With evident reference to the there they would find the safest re"abomination of desolation spoken treat from the bodies of armed
of by Vaniel the prophet" (Dan. men who would be desolating the
xi. 31), he suys, "Daniel also wrote land.
concerning the Roman government,
17-20. on the housetop ..
and that our country should be in the fieId.-ln
these verses are
made desolate by them."
(An-I four admonitions, all indicating the
tiquities. B. x. ch. xi. ~ 7.)
: haste with which the disciples were
whoso readeth.-This
note of I to flee to the mountains on the apwarning, which we also find in I pearance of the" abomination of
Mark's narrative, must be either a I desolation." The man on the houseremark of Jesus addressed to the I top was not to " take the things out
reader of Daniel, or a remark of the of his house," because he would be

208

l\IATTHEW.

sake those days shall be shortened.

Then if any man shall say
unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or
there; believe it not. For
there shall arise false Christs,
and false prophets, and shall
shew great signs and wonders;

neither 011 the sabbath day:

for then shall be great tribulation, such 1\$ was not since the
beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor ever shall be.
n And except those days should
be shortened, there should no
flesh be saved: hut for thc elect's
II

------------------delayed in packing them up, and

the attempt
to carry them would
impede his flight.
The man in the
field was not even to go home for
his extra clothing. for the same reason.
Women with child and those
with infunts
at the breast
(19)
would he unfortunate.
be-nuse they
could not flee rapidly.
They were
to pmy that the fli~ht should not be
in tho winter nor on the Sabbathdav, hecause the former would impedo them by its rains. and the
latter hv the shortness
of the ~abbath-day's
journey.
It is here
noticeable
that Jesus expected his
Jewi.h
disciples
to continue,
at
least until after the destruction
of
the tem pIe, to observe the Sabbath,
and even the tradition
in reference
to a Sabbath-day's
journey:
and it
is a fact that at least the chief part
of them did 80.
21. such as was not .. nor
ever shall be.-The
statement that
there would then
be tribulation
such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no,
nor ever shall be," is to be understood
literally.
It is fully confirmed hy the narrative of Josephus,
who was an eye-witness of the siege
of .Ierusnlem
In order to appreciate the facts. it is necessary to
reno h is very graphic account, and
enter
into all the details * we
quote from him only the following
expression
of opinion, and call attention to the striking coincidence
between it and the words of Jesus:
.W&r8, Books Iv. v. vi.

[xxiv 21-24.

It appears to me that the misforsunes of all men from the beginning of the world, if they were
compared to those of the Jews, are
not 80 eon-ciderahle
as thllY were."
(Preface to War,
4 )
22. no flesh be saved.-As
it is
Jewish flesh alone whose Bufferin~B
are the subject of discourse, this
passage means
that but for the
shortcn ing of those dnys no .Iewish
flesh would be saved; and it follows that the elect, for whose sake
those days were to be shortened,
were the elect .lews, or Jewish
Christians.
The Romans made no
distinction
between believinu
ILl1d
unbelieving
Jews, but slaughtered
all alike.
The
only safety
for
Christian Jews, then, was in tli~ht,
and even this might not have saved
them but for the providences
by
which
those days
were . shortened."

I
I

Another Warning again.,t Faile

Christs and False Prophets, 2328.
(Mark x iii. 21-23.)

23. 24. false Christs and false

prophets.The former reference
I to these pretenders
(verse 5) was
I indefinite
as regards the time of
I their
appearance.
but this shows
that some of them would appear at
the time of flight just preceding
the final catastrophe
signs
and
wonders.-These
rnav have been either
pretended
sig~s and wonders, 01' real signs
and wonders of which these men
pretended
to /lin" the interpretaI tion That a great Illony such signs
I

xxiv. 25-28.]

MATTHEW.

209

insomuch that. if it were possi- r east, and shineth even unto the
ble, thev shall deceive the very' west; so shall [also 1 the coming
elect. '16 Behold, I have told of the Son of man be. [For J
YOIl before.
\Vherefore if they wheresoever the carcass is, there
shall say unto you, Behold, he is will the eagles be gathered Win the desert; go not forth: be- gether.
hold, he is in the secret cham27 , Ree. Omitted by Lach., Tisch.,
bers; believe it not. 17 For as T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.
28 yap Ree. Omitted by Lach, T, 8.
the lightning cometh out of the Green, Alford, Tregelles.
and wonders and such prophets did west, and all men will see him at
appear during the siege of Jeru- the same moment.
salem, and for some years prevIOUS, 28, the carcass .. the eagles.
is attested by Josephus in the re- -There
is nothing in the three
markable chapters already referred verses next preceding this which
to under verse 21 above.
can be represented by a carcass or
by carrion birds (Bi-ro., vultures)
deceive the very elect.-The
elect are those who would main- flocking to it. The reference is to
tain their faith in Christ, and who, the false Christs and false prophets
however they might be puzzled and of verse 24. The carcass is the
distressed by the signs and wonders decaying Jewish nation, and the
of the pretenders, could 1I0t be de- eagles or vultures are the false
ceived into the recognition of false Christa and false prophets who
Christs. The believer in Je,us in would flock together and prev upon
all ages and countries has this ad- the sufferings and fears
their
vantage, that no pretenders can countrymen.
If the for (YBp) is
present credentials equal to his, correctly omitted by the critics (see
nor gi~e us ground for such confi- critical note), this removes the apdence in them as we-have in him. pearance of close connection with
25, 26. go not forth be- the preceding verse, and tends to
lieve it not.-The
reference is not confirm our interpretation.
to the appearance of false Christs,
but to reJ;lorted appearances of the
-\RGnlENT OF SECTION 5.
true Christ, (Comp. verse 27 beIow.)
-Iesus had said much about
It is impossible for a candid per
corning again, which was but im- son to study the history of the
perfectly understood by his disci- Jewish nation from the death of
pies, and it would be quite natural Jesus to the destruction of .lerum times of great commotion and salem, and compare it with the
tribulation amonz his disciples for predictions contained in the rrethe report to go abroad that he had ceding section, without being overcome,
whelmed with the evidences which
27. as the lightning.-The
it fum ishes of the divine forecomparison here introduced en- knowledge of Jesus. And if such
forces the wnrning of the previous is the force of the evidence to us,
verse. Men will not need to be who depend for our knowledge of
told, Behold, he is in thc desert;" the events on the fragmentary hisor "Behold, he is in the secret torical records which have come
chamber;" for his coming will be, down to us, what must it have
like lightning, in that it will shine I been to those who stood in the
forth i~8tantly from the east to the I midst of the stirring events them.

or

'I

18

MATIHEW.

210

[xxiv. 29.

Ie Immediately after the tribu- not give her light, and the stars
lation of those days shall the sun shall fall from heaven, and the
be darkened, and the moon shall powers of the heavens shall be
selves,
with the open pages of
Matthew in their hands?
As sign
after sign appeared, they were able
to read it in the book as plainly as
they saw it with their eyes.
We
are not slow, therefore,
to believe:
the statement of Eusebius,
that the
whole body of the church at .lerusalem removed from the city before
the final siege began.
(Ec. Hist,
B. iii. ch. v.) Nor can we fail to
recognize
these fleeing Christians
among
those
persons
of whom
Josephus
speaks
when
he says,
that "Many of the most eminent
of the Jews swam away from the
cit,Y as from a ship when it was
g')lIlg
to sink."
(ll. ii. ch. xx.
~ 1.) This flight occurred
at the
very crisis
at which
Jesus
had
warned his disciples
to flee to the
mountains
(verses 15-22); that is,
after
Cestius Gallus,
having laid
siege to Jerusalem,
with every prospect of taking it, suddenly,
as Josephus expresses it, . retired from
the cit! WIthout any reason in the
world.'
(Book ii. ch. xix. ~~ 6, 7.)
SECTJO~

VI.

SECONDCO\{INO OF THE SON OF MAN,

XXI V. H)-XX V. 46.

Deacrtpt.lou
of Hi< Coming, 29~11.i Parahle of til" FI!<:-l..e, 32-3.';; Uncertal Illy of tile Day. :16-41; Wntr- IIf'u Iness Eujot ued. ~2--)I; Parable of the
Tr-n \,ll"IlllI",
x x v, 1-13; Pur atrle of
the TalplIll<, 14-;;U; Tile ~"jllal Judgment, :JI--lO.

..

..

De8C1"lptlO,,!:.U.~ ll~;~
ClJmmg, 2.9-31.
(~Iark Xlll. -4-_7; Luke XXI. 2527.)

29. Immediately
after.-The
events of this paragraph
were to
take place" after the tribulation
of
those days;" that is, after the tribulation connected
with the siege and

sacking of .Jerusalem
already mentioned in verse 21.
This makes it
entirely certain that this coming of
the Son of man did not take place
i during the siege of the city, nor at
the time of its destruction.
It is
i equally certain that they have not
'transpired
since that time.
It follows, therefore, that the term "immediately"
must be understood
in
a modified sense.
The difficulty in
the case was anticipated
by the
apostle Peter
when he wrote of
the scoffers who would nrise in the
last days, and say, "Where
is the
promise of his coming?
For since
the fathers
fell asleep all things
continue
as they were from the
beginning
of the creation."
The
ai.>0stle answers,
"Be not ignorant
01 this one thing, that one day is
with the Lord as a thousand
years,
and a thousand
years as one day.
The Lord is not slack concerning
his promise,
as some men count
Blackness."
(2 Pet. iii. 4-9.) This
is equivalent
to an inspired
comment on the term in question, and
proves that it is used in an unusual
sense.
It proves, in other words,
that the one group of events was to
be immediately
after the other, not
as it would appear tu men, but IU
it appears to hod.
sun be darkened.-Fre~entJ"
.
I Old T
1I\ the
estuuient the dar ening
of the Bun and moon is used ~ U
symbnl for the zloom which spreads
..,
over the country in a time of war,
or pestilence,
or other great public
calamity.
(See, for examples, ha.
xiii
10; -Joel ii. 10.) But the
I words of the text correspond 80
strictly
with other descriptions
of
the second com ing as to leave hut
little rrolmhilitl
that they have a
figuratl\ e lIleanlllg.
Peter declares
that ,. th heavens shall 1'''''8 away

I
I

.,

uiv. 30-32.]

MAl~'HEW.

shaken: 10 and then shall appear

the sign of the Son of man in
heaven: and then shall all the
tribes of the earth mourn, and
they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory.
with' a great noise " (2 Pet. iii.
10); Paul ~ays, .As a vesture thou
shalt fold them up, and they shall
be changed" (Heb. L 12); and
John, in his vision of the second
coming, saw" a great white throne
and him that Rat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fied
IIway, and there was found no place
for them" (Rev. xx. I I). The disappearance of the visible heavens
and earth, so that something entirely different will ap~ear in their
places, is to occur aimultnneously
with the final coming of the Son
of man.
30. the sign of the Son of
man.-The
sign is not something
preceding his appearing, but the appearing is itself the siun, The term
I~ used in its usual N. T. 8en8ethat of a miraculous sign.
:\Iark
and Luke both URethe words" they
shall see the Son of man." plark
xiil. 26; Luke xxi. 27.)
all the tribes mourn,-To
those
who are unprepared for it, this will
lie the most mournful of all dnvs ;
and that all the tr ihes of the ea"rth
shall mourn, implies that portions,
and perhaps larp:eportions, of ull
tribes of men will be found thus
un prepared.
The term .all" iR
not to be construed as including all
individuals. (1. Thes. iv, 15-17.)
31. send his angels.-The
fact
that the angels will be employed
in ~athering to/!ether the elect from
all parts of the earth, is declared
both here and in the parable of the
tare" (~Iatt. xiii. 41); but in what
way their ministry will be exereised to this end, we know not.

211

I'I

And he shall send his angela

with a great sound of a trumpet.
ami they shall gather together
his elect from tlte four winds,
from one end of heaven to the
other.
"Now learn a parable of the
Parable 0/ the Piy-tl'ee, 32-35.
(Mark xiii. 2!l-31; Luke xxi. 2g33.)

32. 33. So likewise. - The

point of comparison in the parable
18 here
clearly stated.
As you
know that summer is nip;h when
the fi~-tree puts forth leaves, .. so
likewise" when you see .. all these
things" you will know that it is
nigh. The comparison, however, i~
still obscure until we determ iue
what things are included in .. nil
these things," and what is meant
by the it which was to he near
when . all these th inga " had been
seen. The object deaignuted hy it is
one of the previously mentioned
events, and yet it is distinguished
from . all these things." The term
all, then, is not to be construed as
including every single event previously mentioned, seeing that one
of them is expressly excluded.
Furthermore, the fact that the occurrence of the other events was
to be 0. sign that the excepted one
was drawing near, shows that the
latter was to be the last of the series. But the last event of the
series is the coming of the Son of
man, accompanied by the darkening
of the heavenly bodies, and the
gathering together of the saints.
This is the event, then, which was
to be near when IIII the others had
been seen.
This conclusion is confirmed
when we inquire for the grammatical antecedent of the pronoun it.
The pronoun is not expressed in
the original, but i~ understood. and

212

l\tArrHE

w.

fiz-trce : When his branch is I that it is near, even at the

yZt tender, and putteth forth)' doors. Verily I say unto you,
leaves, ye know that summer is This generation shall not pag~,
nigh; 13 so likewise ye, when ye till all these things be fulfilled.
shall see all these things, know
Heaven and earth shall pass
I ~

ita gender is to be determined by to mean, this Jewish race shall

that of its antecedent.
The antece- not pass awav till all these things
dent must he either the word" com- be fulfilled. (~ee Alford.) But, Il.8
in!!" in the e:'<pre~sion coming of we have just seen, the expression
the Son of man" (verse 2i), or the "all
these
things"
de8ignatef!
word "Son"
in the expression, things to be witnessed and experi"Son of man," in the more imme- encp'a by the .lr-ws, and it would be
dinte context, verse 30. On either a. mere tr-uism to say that their race
supposition the sense of the pns- would not PflSS flwny till nll of
sage is the snme : for when the ~on their own experiences had termiof mnn iB near, his coming is near; nated. The true kev to the interbut the former reference requires pretation
of this 1~llch disputed
the neuter pronoun it, as ill our En/!- pa aglJ is found in the expression
lish text, while the latter requires the "all these things," repented from
masculine pronoun he. The latter i8 the pr('cPfling verse. It IIIlIst here
the more natural and obvious, and is. hare the Bailie meanjn~ us there;
I think, the correct reference, and for an identical expression repeatthe text should be rendered, "So ed in consecutive sentences nl wuvs
li kcwise, when ye shall see all has tho smue mcun ing, "xcept wh~n
these things, know that he is near, somoth inu is introduced in the nr-w
'l,'en at the door." This rendering connection to force upon it a dim'ri, nut only required by the syntax ent IllP,ming. There is certainly
of the passage, but it also makes nothing of the kind here. ,\" e therethe passage more harmonious with- fore conclude, that in the two statein it-elf, It is persons that come merits . This generation shnll not
to the door, and are" even nt the pass till all these t liin qs be fulfilled,"
door," and not events. Such Inn- and," Whenye see all these (hiliffS.
~uage can be used in reference to know that he is near," tho exevents only when the events are pression all these th inq hue the
per"onified.
The passage, then, suiue meaning.
But in the latter
taught the disciples that when they instance. as we have shown under
~hould have seen all of the preced- verse 33, it means all the events
tng; events except the chief one, previouslv mentioned in the speech
which was the Son of man coming except the coming of the Son (If
in the clouds, they might know that man. Th i- last eYent, then, is not
he Wfl~ near.
His eomin~ would, included in "flll these th ings ; " and
still be in the future, but it would' it is not one of the thing whi h
be ueur at hand, in that same divine were to take pluve be foro that gensense in which it wns to be . imme- ' erution p,t"'cd uwnv.
diatel!f after the tribulatiun
uf1 35. not pass away,-The
decthose dnvs."
i lnrntion contained in this verse is
34. 'this generation. - Some intended to emphll.ize the absolute
"ery superior scholars understand, certainty of all that .Iesus had just
the word rendered generation
("yEV- i pred ieted.
The pl18si[)~ Ilway of
lei) to mean r,o"
and the passuge prophetic word. would be their
It

xxiv. 36-42.]

~IAITHEW.

away, but my words shall not

pll8S away .
But of that day and hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but 1 my: t111~ 1
Father only. n But as the days
of No' e were, so shall also the
corning of the Son of man be.
18
1 For as in the days that
were
"efore the flood: As in the days
oj the flood 1 they were eating and

211

drinking, marrying and glVlDg

in marriage, until the day that
No'e entered into the ark, -and
knew not until the flood came,
and took them all away; so shall
[also] the coming of the Son of
man be. 40 Then shall two be
ill the field; the one shall be
taken,
and the other left.
&! Two women shall
be grinding
at the mill; the one shall be
taken, and the other left.
" Watch therefore:
for ye

116"ov Roc. Omitted by Lach., T. S.

Green, Tregelles.
38 Tai. "po Ree. Omitted by Laeh., Tisch.,
T. S. Green, Alford. Tregel le s.

39 Ka' Ree. Omitted

by Lach.,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelle

TiIIch.,

pnsaing into oblivion through fail- the second coming, for all the praotices mentioned, eating, drinking.
ure to be fulfilled.
marrying, and giving in marriu"e.
Cnrertainty of the Day, 36-41. arc in themselves innocent. Butit
(Mark xiii. 32-37; Luke xxi. is the suddenness with which the
34-36. )
event will come to an unexpccting
36, of that day and hour.- world. As" they knew not until
The day and hour of the cominz the flood came and took them all
of the Son of man. This is clea;' away, so shall the coming of the
both from the fact that this coruinu Son of man be."
40, 41. one taken, the other
is the subject of remark in the tw~
preceding parnl!raphs (29-35), and left.- ()Ile changed in a moment,
from the fact that after asserting in the twinkling of an eye (I Cor.
that no man knows the hour, he xv, 5:.!), and then caught up into
adds, "But as the days of X 0(' the cloud. to meet the Lord in the
were. so shall also the cominz of air (I Thcss. iv. Ii); the other left
the Son of man be." (37.) "'The to be consumed in the conflagraobject of this remark, and of the tion of the earth (2 Pet. iii. 10),
entire paragraph, was to prevent a and then called up to the resurrecmisconception of the previous re- tion of condemnation (John v, :.!9).
41. two women grinding.mark. that his corning would be
"immediately after the tribulation The millstones of the ancients were
of 'I,,,_e days," and that when they turned by hand. In the upper millshould have seen all of the ~igns stone and near its edge was in
I?:iven,they might "know that he serter] a wooden pin which served
Two persons, seated
[. near, even at the door." It was as a handle.
to prevent the strict construction on upposite sides of the mill, gave
of those words which has been the this stone the necessary rotation by
mistake of many expositors, both alternately seizing the handle and
each turning it half-way around.
ancient and modern.

37-39.

as the days of Noe.-

The point of compar-ison with the

days of Noab is not the wickedness of the world at the time of

Watchfulness

Elljoined, 42-51.

42. Watch therefore.-The ex-

114

MATTHEW.

[xxiv.

43-51.

know not what I hour: day I your I servant, whom his lord when be
Lord doth come.
But know! cometh
shall
find so doing.
this, that if the goodman of the 61 Verily I say unto you, That he
house had known in what watch shall make him ruler over all his
the thief would come, he would goods.
But and if that evil
have watched,
and would not I servant shall sav in his heart,
have suffered his house to be 11'ly lord delaYlih [hi" coming];
broken up.
Therefore
be ye' awl shall hrgin to smite his
also ready:
for in such an hour: fellow-servants,
and to eat and
88 ye think
not the Son of man drink with the drunken;
60 the
cometh.
46 \Vho then is a faithlord of that servant shall come
ful and wise servant, whom his in a day when he looketh not for
lord hath made ruler over his him, mid in an hour that he is
household, to give them meat in not aware of, >I anti shall cut him
due season ?
Blessed is that asunder, and appoint him his
42 wpq Rec, ~".,p'1- l.ach.,
Green, Alford, Tregelles,

Tisch . T. S.

111iA8,'. Ree OmItted by Laeh., T. S.

Green. Trcgell es,

hortation to wntchfulness is based his fellow-servants.

This servant
on the uncertainty of the day ItS repre-ents pl'rsons who, like the
declared in the previous
para- al'",tlf'< whom .Iesus WM addressgraph nnd here repeated for the ing. "Cl'''!,Y positions of authority
sake of emphavis : for you know: in the Church.
The words, . he
not what day yuur Lord doth come." ,shall make him ruler over all his
Un Iike the day of the destruction . ~()("iA," are descriptive of the litof .Ierusalcrn, there is no sign hy ernl promotion of the faithful servwhich its near approach will be ant. uud indicate that a promotion
certainly known.
analogous to this will be enjoyed
43,
44.
he would have hy the faithful officer in the Church.
watched. - The comparison be- The number of faithful ones who
tween the coming of .Iesu and that will be found will prevent a literal
of a thief is the more str iking from promotion of each one oyer all the
the di,.irnilarity
hetween the two ' :\laster's goods ; hence this point
characters.
There is hut one point I in the pnruble is not a point of
of comparison-the
uncertainty of : sip:nificance in the interpretation.
the time of their oom injr. As the I 43-51.
that evil servant.goodman of the house, hud he' From the reward of the faithful
known what hour the thief would se rvant the .peaker here pa,~es to
come. ,v<l11ld have watched und the f.ite of the evil servant, still
have pre"ented his hon-e from he- I retaining the idea of one in auing broken into, 80 we, hy watl'h-. thority.
The evil servant, ericouring for the comin~ of the ~()n of 'aged hy the apparent delay of his
man, may prevent it from findillg master's corn inz to think that all
us unprepared.
I danger is in the distance. hegins to
45-47. faithful ani wise servo ; exercise tyranny and to give himant. - The figure is now changed 'self to di,.ip:~tion.
His master
rrom that of a householder watch-I comes upon him unexpectedly, and
ing against a thief, to that of 1\' punishes him with the utmost S8servant appo inted in hi. master's' ver-ity. In gtating the punishment,
absence to take the oversigl:t of : -Iesus passes from the figure to the

av.1-7.]

MATTHEW.

portion with the hypocrites;

there shall be weeping and gnai'h.
ing of teeth.
XXV. I Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto
ten virgins, which took their
lamps, and went forth to meet
the bridegroom.
'And five of
them were wise, and five were
foolish. I They that were foolish
hei I
.1
took t ell' amps, ann took no oil

215

I with

them: but the wise took

: oil in their vessels with then
Ilamps. I While the bridegroom
tarried, they all slumbered and
slept. And at midnight there
\\'38
a cry made, Behold, the
bridegroom [cometh]; go ye out
to meet him. 'Then all those

'Pa,,""

6
Ret!. Omitted by Lach., TiIlCh..
T. S. lreen. Alford. 'I'regelles, N. B, C. D, L,
z, 10"1.Coptic. Sahidic, etc.

sisted exclusively in the fact that

the latter carried an extra supply
of oil.
Under ordinary circumstances the foolish viruins would
have been safe with the amount of
oil which they had; for it seems
that it was the tarrying of the
bridegroom (verse 5) which led to
their trouble. Had he come when
they expected him, they would
have 'been ready. The wise virgins, on the other hand, knowing
the delays frequently attending the
movements of wedding parties,
provided so much oil that they
would be prepared for the latest
posaible hour.
The oil in their
lamps would burn till midnight
(verse 6). and that in their vessela
would burn, if need be, till duylight.
5. slumbered and slept.-More
accurately rendered nodded and
Parable of the Ten Virgins, xxv. slept."
They did not lie down
1-13.
to regular slumber, but nodded in
1. to meet the bridegroom.their seats. As there were servo
According to .Iewish custom the I ants on the watch who would anbrrosgroom went to the house of i nounce the approach of the bridehis father-in-law to receive his/ groom (verse 6), there was no need
bride, leaving at his own house a that they should remain awake,
company of virgins, who were to and a little slee? now would e!,Sr
come out with lanterns or torches ble them to be Wider awake during
to meet him on his arr-ival, and to the festivities of the latter part of
escort him into the house.
The the night.
ten virgins of this parable were to
6, 7. at midnight.-At
an hour
perform this pleasant service.
later than was expected, the bride2-4. five wise . five fool- groom and his company came in
ish.-The
difference between the sight, and those who were watchwise and the foolish virgins con- ing raised the cry that he was com-

reality, and merges the parable in

the description: cutting him asunder (51) terminates the parable
which had been itself almost 11. description, and the description be~ins with appointing him his por
tion with the hypocrites, where shull
be weeping and gnashinl! of teeth.
At this point it may he well to
remind the reader that all the
wurnings in reference to his second
coming. given by .Iesus in the preceding as well as in the following
divisions of th is discourse, are
equally applicable to our departure to meet him. Whether he first
comes to UR. or we first go to him,
the result will be the sallie. for as
we are at death we will be at his
corning, seeing that it is concerning
the deeds done in the body that we
will be judged. (2 Cor. v. 10.)

2~6

~IATTlIEW.

virgins arose, and trimmed their

lamps.
8 And
the foolish said
unto the wise, Give us of your
oil; for our lamps are gone out.
t But the wise answered, saying,
Not so; lest there be not enough
for us ami you: but go ye rather
to them that sell, and buy for
yourselves,
10 And
while they

[xxv

6-13.

Iwent to buy, the bridegroom

came; and they that were ready
went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward
came also the other
virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, OJ>flTl
to us. U But he answered and
said, Verily I say unto you, T
know you not. IS Watch there-

ing. There was now time for all come, represents the fact that" ye
to awake, triru their lamps, and go know neither the day nor the hour
out to meet him at the appointed wherein the Son of mun comes."
place.
'I'hen all those vir!?inH All of the virgins represent those
IIfOS(, und trimmed their lamps. '
who are waiting for his coming and
8-10. Give us of your oil.- are supposed to be ready for it. The
The lnmps had not !lone out, as ex- foolish virgins are not the unconpressed by our version, but they vertod, for they make no preparawere !loin!, out; and the lamps of tion; they are not apostates, for
all were alike; but the foolish vir- they, after waiting at their post
gins had no oil with which to re- for II time, abandon it and go their
plenish theirs, while the wise had way; but they evidentIx represent
oil in their vessels. It was not till those who enter the Church and
now that the wisdom of the latter stand at their post until the bride
and the folly of the former became groom comes, and are then found
munifest.
Just at the moment without sufficient preparation to
when all should have started out meet him. They make the prepawith blazing lamps to meet the ration which they are led by their
bride7ro,)I11, the foolish virgins own indolence or indifference to
must hasten away to make the neg- regard as sufficient, and content
lected preparation.
themselves with that, knowing that
11, 12. I know you not.-In
they run some risk of being lost.
this answer the term know is used, All who allow themselves any quesaccord ing to the Jewish idiom, for tionable indulgences; all who negfavorable knowledge.
(Comp. vii. Ilect any of the ordinances of God;
23.) The answer was a refusal to I and all who are indifferent about
rcco~nize them, I\~ when a man 1 soundness in the faith as it is in
passes an old acquaintance who: Christ, belong to this class. The
has gi"en him an offense as if he I wise virgins, on the other hand, are
knew him not. It sent away the' those who make such preparation
poor virgins in bitter disappoint-! as to make their calling and eleoment and shame.
I tion sure;" aiming in all things to
13. Watch therefore. - This err, if err they do, on the side
warning is BUl!gested by the para-i of safety.
The bridegroom may
ble, >lnd .prings UM a conclusion I come before midnight, and if he
from the analogy between it and does, a certain limited quantity of
the kingdom of heaven. The com- oil will be enough, but 11.I0rew ill
ing of the bridegroom represents I do no harm; and if he comes at a
the coming of the Son of man, and later hour, that which would have
the uncertaintv as to what hour of ' appeared superfluous will save me.
the night the bridegroom would The wise virg ius alwavs appear too
1

xxv. 14-20.]

l\1.ArrHEW.

217

fore, for ye know neither the' h:1(1received the five talents went
day nor the hour [wherein the, and traded with the same, and
Son of man cometh].
I made them other five [talents].
H For
the kingdom of heaven IT And likewise he that had reis as a man traveling into a far ceived two, [he also] gained
country, who called his OWII other two, \0 But he that had
servants, and delivered unto received one went and digged in
them his goods. 16 And unto one the earth, and hit! his lord's
he gave five talents, to another 11I001ey. 10 After a long time the
two, and to another one; to ev- 100'd uf those servants cometh,
err man according to his severul awl reckoneth with them. ,oAnd
ability;
and straightway took I so he that had received five talhis journey.
18 Then
he that

n ;,

13 i.,
1Ji.o~ ,.ou 4v6pw'ITOU ;p~na., Ree.
Omitted hy Lach., 'I'isch . T. S. Green,
Alfurd, Tregellcs, N, A, 11,C, n, K. x,.l>. 1.
etc., Old Latin, Vulgate, II. Syria", 1'. s,r
lac, Ph. Syriac, Coptic, Sah idic, etc.

scrupulous
in the eyes of the foolish.
The warning ... Watch there(ore, for ye know neither
the day
nor the hour," bids us im itate the
wise and take wnrn ing from the
fate of the foolish.
The canceled
words, "wherein
the Son of man
cometh," are thrown out on the safest p:round8 (see critical
note), but
they really express in full the sense
of the verse.
Though
1I0t expressed
in the ori,!!inal, they were
understood,
hl'in~ supplied
by the
train of thou)!ht
ill the context.
(See xx iv, ~7, 3\1, 4:!. 44, 50.)

Parable of the Til/en! ., 14-30.

TciAaVTa
RfC.
Omitted by Lach. T. S.
Tregelles.
1'; Kat aVTO<;" life. Omitted by Lnch., T.
S. Green; Tregelles, N, B, C, J., etc., Old
Latin, Vulgate, P. syrtac, roptic, Suhldlc,

]6

(tn'en,

ete.

parable
illustrated
the importance
of watch injr, or of making suitable
preparation,
and the following parable illustrates
the method of doing
this.
The rendering
should
he,
For as a man trnve lina into a far
couutry
called
his servants," etc.
The comparison
indicated
by as "
is not expressed,
but is to be supplied
from
the
context
by the
reader.
his
own
servants.-The
fact
that the servant.
were"
his own"
and not hired servants,
has 8i~nificanoe, showing that he had a claim
on their time and labor.
15-17, according
to his sev-

14, as a man traveling.-In

eral
ability,
- As each servant
the clause, . For the king'lmn
of was
intrusted
with
an
amount
heaven is as a man traveling
into II suited to his ability,
the distribufar country,"
the words"
the king- tion was relatively
equal, and jusdoni of heaven"
nre Mllpplied by tified the demand
of an equal per
the translators
incorrectly.
The centum
of profit in the returns,
object of comparison
is much more i and this demand
was met by the
specific, being the duty enjoined
in I first two.
the preceding
verse.
The words, I
18. digged
in the
earth.-It
"Watch
therefore,
for ve know: was very common in that day, as it
neither
the dny nor the
hour," I is yet WIth nations unprovided
with
form the conclusion
drawn
from safes and vault . to bury gold and
the para hle of the ten virgin., and silver in the earth.
(Comp.
xiii,
indicate the subject to be illustrated,
44).
The talent was about $1600
ill that
of the talents.
The former , in silver.

19

MA'lTHEW.

218

ents came and brought other five

talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents :
behold, I have gained [beside
them] five talents more. His
lord said IIDto him, 'VeIl done,
thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over It
few things, I will make thee
ruler over many thiugs : enter"
thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He
also that had received two
talents came and said, Lord,
thou deliveredst unto me two
talents: behold, I have gained
two other talents [beside them].
'" His lord said unto hi Ill, Well
done, good and faithful servant;
thou hast been faithful over a

[xxv. 21-28.

few things, I will make thee

ruler over many things: enter
thou into the joy of thy lord.
U Then
he which had received
the one talent came and said,
Lord, I knew thee that thou art
an hard man, reaping where
thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
and I was afraid, and went and
hid thy talent in the earth: 10,
there thou hast that is thine.
His lord answered and said
unto him, Thou wicked and
slothful servant, thou knewest
that I reap where I sowed not,
and gather where I have not
strawed : 27 thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to
the exchangers, and then at my
coming I should have received
mine own with wmry. ,. Take
therefore the talent from him,

I"

20 iI.' "~T.;'
Rer.
8. Green, Tregellcs.
2~ .,,' "VT.;. Reo.
S. Green, Tregellee.

Omitted

by Lach., T.

Omitted

by Lach., T.

21-23, into the joy of thy

Lord,-In
this part of the parable
there is a transition to the language
of the Lord from heaven when bestowing the everlasting, benediction; for the words, "1!inter thou
into the joy of thy lord," are not
those of an earthly master when
rewarding his servants. This benediction was pronounced on the
two servants alike, because, having
gained the same per centum on
heir respective amounts, they had
roved themselves equally faithful.
24, 25, an hard man,-It
was
because the servant ijmored his obligations as a servant that the master appeared a hard man in demanding a return of more than he
had given.
26, 27, wicked and slothful
serva.nt,-In
the answer, the ri~ht
of the lord to the time and labor
of the servant is waived, and he i~
condemned on his own ground.

His lord's money had been in hi.

possession for a I"n~ time, and even
If he had been a free man he
would have owed interest on it.
But he had been too slothful to
labor, and he had been too neglectful of his obligations to even loan
the money to the exchangers and
secure the interest on it: he could
not, therefore, truthfully say, "Lo,
there thou hast that is thine."
It was unlawful to loan money
to a brother Israelite on interest,
but interest eould be lawfully exacted from Gentiles, and the Jews
of later ages found abundant opportunities to loan at good rates all
of their surplus capital.
28, unto him which hath ten.
-It
is easy to see why the talent
should be taken away from him who
had it, hut not so clear that it
should have heen I!iven to him who
had ten
Why not divide it between him who had ten and hilll

xxv, :l9-31 ]

MATTHEW.

219

I he

and gne It unto hnn which hath

ten talents,
:III For
unto every
one that hath shall be given,
lind he shall have abundance:
but from him that hath not shall
he taken allay e,en that \\hlCh

hath,
"And cast }e the unprofitable
servant
mto
outer
darkness
there <hall be \\eeplIlg
and /!Il.lShlllg of teeth.
51 \VhclI
the Son of m.m -hall
come III IllS glory, and all the

who had four?

I see no reason for I w lnch IH' ,ne!o
\\ It, h
(verve
tlus, except that the man who h id I J) and th It of the slothful bt i vuut,
successfully
m \n'l~ed
the largevt IIthe cour-,e to w 11I(h our IIltlokllle
amount had exhrbited
the greatest
or md iff rt lice or mm autude
\\ III
capacity and the lord s mterests
lend u- Ii \\ e do not II ,Itt h 'I he
were safest III ln hands
reckorum;
\\ ith the se.rv.u to 10 the
29. unto everyone who hath. final Jud_mcnt
"llId,
"III take
-TillS
statement,
thou.rh
mtro- place \\ hen the ~"n of in.m COlllPS
dur-ed by , for' docs not gl"re It The transfer oj the 0111' talent fi om
re.ison for the act Just mentioned
the <lothful <erv-int to 111m \\ ho h id
(!!l-.) but presents a general rule of ten
mdu.atos t! It hal e .111) -Il!;
God.
go,ernlllLllt
w hu.h
apphes
nihc-mce,
th It the reward
of the
in the ,'l<e
The man of the hv e faithful
ser v.mt- I,f Lh i r-t \\111 be
talents had-that
IS he hold profit In 1!!lllbed 011 .u count of the f.ulure
(In wh It \\ as p;1,en h un-e-and to him of the unf uthful
.1IIU tlu I~ but
more '1'1''1<given,
while the man
just
for the faithful
om s have to
of the one t dent had not and from re8ht not ollh the te m] t lOOn- corn
h rrn w IS t iken \\ h It he had
mon to .rll \",t 11'0 rhe dr-cour l;.!:e
30 into outer darkness -II~re
mont and lundcrun.
P 111-1llP; fi om
a.r-un ,I. III -.;,1\ 51, there
I. a the unf-uthfulne
-,s of their ln cthrou
transition
from the p'1r ible to the
The fact th.it the m-in w ho h id
ro-rl.ty , for there W'l" no such pun- the le-t-t c 'paclty
nud tho srn 111
i-hmont
of serv lilts ,I" ca.tlll!!: e-t amount
inn u-t- d to lurn "I'
r'iom out into the d.n k
The d-irk
the one w ho pi ov. d unfaithful
I.
IIPoS IS th-it \\ lnch lies outside of I worthv
of note
for ,dtlwugit
III
\Ill the hcht and bloasedne-,s w hu.h actu II e-.;penellee
\\ e see m.uu til
the I.uthful sen rnta ai e to enjov sciples with gre'lt {'o,ses.,o".
,1IId
\\ rth their
Lord
The darkness
(!:re It influence bur) Ill)! their t-ilents
svmbohves
the desol itron of th.it I III the ground
\\ e also und th It
~tatc the \\Cll'lll/!
Its sorrow,
and those who consider themselves
II( Ik
tho glla.lllllg
of teeth Its un ru ish
and possessed
of httle
mo 1Il. t,j
~" picture
could be dr rwn 1Il00e u- fulue-s
are peLuh 11I} hal le to
awful than tlus
till. Bill on account
of till. Icry
The BIgnlfic.lIllf' of th is p-n ible c n-cumst ince III their condrtu.n
is clear and BtrJklll~
The lord "f
The WOlU talent, \\ hrch I. the
the serv mts IS the Son of man
Greek
wor d 'l'aAav'l'Ov
,lllglteIlP.!
whoso comma IS the BuhJ"1 t f the und means
II CI rtam
arnou nt of
d rscourse
(Sec note on 14)
The mOllty, hn-, acq u n ed in Fllgh.h the
serv Ints are hIS own di-cipl. S whom sense of mtel ler tunl eml"" iueuts
hr h ,. rllrch~, d \\ ith h rs own fi om It. UBe III tlu-, p.u uble

I
I

'I

bl .od and the t'llput.

mtr u-ted to I
The}
t u al Judgment
J 1-4&
th(,J11 n re the nu. ms of USL fulness
'
glvpn I J Christ t, all that are hIS 1 31 come ill hIS glory -Till
re
Thp
conduct
of the two f'uthful
nre
three
specific.ition-,
III tlus
lervnr,rs
pointe
out the "a)
III verse which show that th L< mmg

220

MATTHEW.

[holy 1 'lngcls with him, then

shall he sit upon the throne of
his glory: n ana before him shall
be gathered all nations: and he
shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his
sheep from the goats: a and he
shall set the sheep on his right

[xxv. 32-36.

81 4),'.' Ree. Omitted by Lach., Tloch., T.

B Green, Alford, Tregelles, N, D, D, L,
etc., Old Latin, Vulgate, H. Syriac, Coptic,
.thiopic, Armenian, etc.

hand, but the goats on the left.

"Then shall the King say unto
them on his right hand, Come,
ye blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the
world: 16 for I was an hungered,
and ye gave me meat: I was
thirsty, and ye gave me drink:
I was a stranger, and ve took me
in: naked, and ye clothed me:
I was sick, and ye visited me:

desur ibed is the final coming of

Christ: first, that he will "come.
in his glory;" second, that all the
angel~ will come with him; and
third, that he will then sit on the
throne of his glory. The throne
of judgment iR called the throne of
his glory, because by the decisions
of that day hi" glory will be oxhibited more brightly than ever before.
All the obscure things in the past
administration of his government
will then be made clear.
32. all nations.-The
universality of the judgment is here declared. Not only all the nations
which will then be Iivinrr, but all
that have ever lived are included;
for Jesus had already said, "The
queen of the South shall rise up in
the jud~ment with this generation
and shall condemn it;" "the men of
Nineveh shall rise up in the judzment with this /!:eneration and condemn it" (Luke x. 31, 32); and
the hour is coming when all that
are in the graves shall hear the
voice of the Son of man and shall
come forth, they that have done
good to the resurrection oflife, they
that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation " (.John v. 28,29).
32, 33. shall separate them.The original pronoun is in the mas'Juline gender (<W1'O\Is), and its antecedent, nations (1'a .Ov'1) is neuter,
showing that not the nations, as
suct., hut the individuals composing

the nations, are to be separated.

A similar construction is found in
the original of xxviii. 19.
34. from the foundation.-The
kingdom was not fully prepared
from the foundation of the world,
for Jesus says on a subsequent 00caaion, "I go to prepare n place
for you." (John xiv. 2, 3.) The
meaning is, that it had been in
course of preparation
from the
foundation of the world.
35, 36. for I was an hungered.-.All
hungered is an ohsolete expression for hUII,qry. The
acts here specified are all deeds of
benevolence; all belong to the category of ~ood works. We are not
hence to conclude that good works
alone can secure to us everlasting
life, seeing that in the midst of our
good works we commit sin, and
before the hep:inning of our good
works we lived in sin. Forgiveness for these sins must be secured
by complying with the conditions
thereof, or we will be condemned
on their account. notwithstanding
all the benevolence which we can
perform. The lesson taught in the
paRSa!!e is this: that works of
Christian benevolence, as we have
opportunity to perform them. constitute one of the conditions of our
acceptance in the day of judgment.
They are, indeed, but the outgrowth
of faith and love, and their a1>sence proves that our faith ia uead,

XXy.3i-46.]

~L\TTHEW.

221

I WIUI in prison, and ye came devil and his angels: for I W88
unto me.
11 Then
shall the an hungered, and ye gave me no
righteous answer him, saying, meat: I was thirsty, and ye
Lord, when saw we thee an gave me no drink:
"I was a
hungered,
and f('(1 thee? or stranger, and ye took me not in:
thir-ty, and gave thee drink? naked, and ye clothed me not:
U \\'hell
saw we thee a stranger, sick, and in prison, and ye visawl took thee in? or naked, and ited me not.
Then shall they
clothed thee?
IV Or
when saw also answer [him], saying, Lord,
we thee sick , or in prison, and when saw we thee an hungered,
carne unto thee?
And the or athirst, or a stranger, or
King shall answer !lIHI ~ay unto naked, or sick, or in prison, and
them, Verilv I say unto yOU, In- did not minister unto thee?
asmuch as "e ha\'e ,Iolle' it unto "Then shall he answer them,
one of the' least of these my saying, Yerily I say unto you,
brethren, ve han (lone it unto I Inasmuch as )'e did it not to one
me.
Then shall he say also of the least of these, ye did it
unto them on the left hand, De- not to me.
<8And these shall go
pll rt from me, ye cursed,
in to
.
fi
1 i'
tl
ai>T<~ Rec. Omitted by Lach., TiI<ch.,
ever 1astmg re, prepareu lor ie T. S. Green, Alford, Trege lles,
'I

anI that love has not heen born The performance of good works on
within II". (Comp. 4:! below.)
the one hand, and the neglect of
37-40. shall the righteous, them on the other, constitute the
answer.-It
i. not necesRary to I specified difference between the
suppose that such a conversation I parties. We here learn, that what,
as IS here stated will actually take ever other sins mayor mal not
plnce, for the mass of the saints have heen committed, the Sill of
will already have learned the les- neglecting to feed the hunl;ry, to
Bon here tuught ; but the form of clothe the naked, and to ruinister
a conversation is probably em-, to the sick and the imprisoned disploved us the heat method of pre- : ciple, is enough to consign one to
Benting the thought. The pa.'sage ~the fate of the devil and his angels
shows that all deeds of benevo-I' Such neglect proves the absence of
lence don to the brethren of .Ie- that faith and love which are essenBUS are ncccpted by him as if done, tial to Christian character.
to himself. We have the precious i 46. everlasting.
, eternal,
pri"il"gc of minister ing to him in, -The two terms everlasting
and
min istor imr to his.
I eternal
have the same meaning, the
41. prepared for the devil.- : former beinz of Anglo-Saxon, and
That is, primuri lv prepared for the' the latter of Latin origin. They
devil And h.i~ angeh, though not: also represent the same Greek word
without anticipation of its use for I (o.,,:,.tO~), translated here by these
the punishment of men. The fact I two words for the sake of variet,Y
that wicked men must suffer the! of expression,
Whatever this
same punishment as the devil and Greek word means in the last
hie angels, shows the enormity of clause of this sentence it means in
our Bins.
the first; for it is an invariable rule
42-45. you gave me no meat.of exeget!is, that a word when tho

[xxvi. 1-8.

MATTHEW.
away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life
eternal,
XXVI. 'And it came to pass,
when Je'sU8 had finished all
these sayings, he said unto his
disciples, Ye know that after
two days is the feast of the passrepeated in the same sentence must
be understood
in the same sense,
unless the context or the nature of
the subject shows that there is a
play on the word.
There is certainly nothin~ in the context to indicate
the Slightest
difference
in
meaning,
nor can we know by the
nature of the subject that the punishment spoken of is less durable
than the life.
It is admitted on all
hands that in the expression
"everlasting life" the term has its full
force, and therefore
it is idle and
preposterous
to deny that it has the
same force in the expression"
everlasting
punishment."
The everlasting punishment
of this verse is
the same as the everlasting
fire in
verse 41. The punishment
is by
fire. and its duration is eternal.
AROIDIENT OF' SECTION

6.

over, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Then assembled together the
chief priests, [and the scribes].
and the elders of the people,
8 l(Q.l oi. YP(1,.,.",a.Tii( Rec.
Omitted
b,
Lach., Tisch . T. S. Green, Alford. Tregelles. N. A. B. D. I etc . a, b. etc . Vulgat.e,
Coptic, Sahldlc, ..thiopic, etc.

SECTIO~
PLOT8

VII.

A.'fD PREPARATIONS,

I-50.

XXVL

Fourth Prediction
of His Death, 1,2;
The Connett at the House of Cutapnas, 3-5; The Anointing at Bethally, 6-13; The Ag reerueut with Ju.
dus, 14-16; The Passover Prepared,
17-19; Conversation
about
the Betrayal. 20-2.i; T'lre Lor.t's ;,jupper Instituted, 26--30;Desert ton and Denial
Predicted. 31-35; Agony In Getbsemane, 36--4tl; The Arrest, 47-66.

Fourth Prediction of Hi. Death,

1,2.

1, 2. after two days.-This

ex-

pression.
in .Jewish usage, means,
on the second day after the one
then present.
As the Passover that
year was on Friday, this remark,
and the entire speech of which it
was the concludi ng part (verse I).
were
delivered
on \Vednesday.
This is the fourth time, as recorded
by ~1atthew, that Jesus predicted
his own death.
(Comp. Hi. 21-23;
xvii. 22, 23; xx, 17-19.)

The argument of this section depends for its conclusiveness

on the
fulfillment
of the predictions
contained
in it, all of which look to
the end of time for their fulfillCouncil at the House
Caiaph as,
ment.
They are introduced
not so
3-.">. (~1ark xiv. I, 2; Luke xxii.
much for proof a~ for instruction.
1. 2.)
Our author, having already proved
3. Then assembled.- Theil conJesus to be a prophet bv presenting
of th is counpredictions
fulfilled in his own gen- nects the assembling
eration. and some in process of ful- cil with the preced inu remark of
fillment even to the present day, .Icsus, showing that it was on the
that is. ,,- ednesdaj.
here quotes for the benefit of his sallie day;
readers a ser ies of predictions
con- (See also ~lark xiv, I, 2.) The deof the scribes and Pharcerning the last d.1Y, tacitly refer- nunciatiun
in chap. 23, was
ring us to the fulfillment of the for- iaees contained
on the morning
mer as proof that these also will be pronounced
Wedne~day. and the prophetio
di.
fulfilled in their time.

(~r

or

xxvi 4-8.]

MATTHEW.

223

unto the palace of the high

priest, who was called Ca'iaphas,
's'ld consulted that they might
take Je'sUB by subtilty, and kill
him. 6 But they said, Not on
the feast day, lest there be an
.Iproar among the people.
Now when .Ie'sUB was in
Beth'any, in the house of Si'mon

the leper, 'there came unto him

a woman having an alabaster
box of very precious ointment,
and poured it on his head, as he
sat at meat. 8 But when I his:
the I disciples saw it, they had
indignation, saying, To what pur8 ClUTO. Rec. Omitted bv Lach., TIBch.,
T. 8. Green, Alford, TregelIe.s.

course 01 chaps. 24 and 25, in the

after part of the same day. Before
the close of the same day, the chief
priests and elders, filled with bitter
resentment for the denunciations
of the morning. nssembled together,
a~ here declared.
4, 5. by subtilty.-The
fear of
the people, which had restrained,
these parties earlier in the week
(xxi. 46), was still the chief obstacle to the revenge which they
sought. The subtilty which was in
requisition now was needed for the
purpose of getting possesaion of
Jesus and securing his condemnation before the people could interfere. So far as the future could be
foreseen, plans for this purpose were
now devised.
tha y 6 13
Th e A not". titng a t B en,
- .
(Mark xiv. S:...9; John xii. 2-8.)

that two different feasts are referred

to. (Compare with this paragraph
John xii. 1-8.)
house of Simon the leper.-As
the law forbade a leper to mingle
with the people (Lev. xiii. 45, 46),
this man had probably been healed
of the leprosl by .lesus, and was
still called Simon the leper from
habit. Lazarus, whom Jesus had
raised from the dead, wus at the
supper; the woman who anointed
Jesus (verse 7) was Mary; while
Martha, according to her well known
habit (Luke x. 40), was one of
those who served. (John xii. 2,3.)
It was an interesting
/!:roup of
notable persons, who were full of
gratitude for benefits conferred, and
whose unfeigned love was about
the only human solace enjoyed bl
th '-' . duri
h I
k
}.e ",a:'l0~ urmg t e ast wee 0

6. when Jesus was in Bethany.-This

Inn~uage is indefinite
as to time. .John mentions the
same feast, and dates it six days before the Passover, which fixes it
on Sunday night. (John xii. 1.)
Matthew's indefinite language is
entirely consistent with this date.
He mentions it here, out of its
chronological order, because it is
associated in thought with the
counsel of the priests and elders to
put Jesus to death (verses 3-5), and
with Jesus' own prediction just
mentioned (verses 1, 2). The accounts of the feast, as given by
Matthew and John, are too nearly
identical to allow the supposition

7. on his head.-Matthew's
aocount of the act of anointing is
quite indefinite.
lIe mentions neither the quantity of the ointment
nor its value; nor dues he state that
the feet of Jesus were anointed as
well as his head. It was the fact that
ointment so precious was lavished
on hi feet, that gave especial cause
for the indignation
ex pressed by
Judas.
These items are supplied
by Mark and .Iolm.
8, 9. they had indignation.Not all of the diseiples. for Judas
alone made the complaint.
(John
xii. 4.)
Th is is an instance in
which }ft~tthew uses the plural indefinit.ely to represent what came

1IS

sunermgs.

224

MATTHEW.

se is this waste? For this

intment] might have been sold
~ r much, and given to the poor.
10 'Vhen .Ie'sus understood
it, he
said unto them, \Vhy trouble ye
the woman? for she hath wrought
a good work upon me. II For
ye have the poor always with

you; but me ye have not always.

12 For
in that she hath poured
this ointment on nly body, she
did it for my burial. II Verily
I say unto you, Wheresoever this
gospel shall be preached in the
whole world, there shall also
this, that this woman hath done,
be told for a memorial of her.
I. Then
one of the twelve,

II Tb /L';P" &C.
Omitted by Lach.,
Tllch., T. S. Green,Alford,Tregelles,

from a group of persons, although

it W8.8 uttered by only one of them.
10. a good work.-It
was a
tr00d work, because it was a manifostation of devotion and f!;rutitnde.
~tarv thought thut nothing was too
costlj' to be lavished on Jesus, and
he indorsed the sentiment.
The
incident shows that no expenditure
is unacceptable to .lesus that is
prompted hy unmixed love for him.
Let us beware, however, of extravagant expenditures in the name of
Jesus which are prompted iu part
by love of show, or by any other
enrth ly lust.
11. poor always with you.Th is is one of those far-reaching
sayini!:s of J()SUS,which display his
superhuman foresight and the intensely practical 'l'iew which he
took of human life. He was not a
hurnnn itarian visionary, dreaming'
of the day when all poverty should
be banished from the earth. and
when men should all be eq unl in
worldly goods. He contemplated
as the perpetual condition of his
earthly kingdom, the inequulities
of r-iches and poverty, the blessedness of receiving gifts in the name
of Christ, and the still greater
blessedness of bestowing them.
How literally has the prediction
been fulfilled I
12. for my burial.-If
we
mderstand these words as expressmg the purpose of Mary, and this
ill their natural force, we must eon-

[xxvi. 9-14.

elude that she realized, 8.8 the other

disciples did not, the truth of what
.lesus had predicted concerning his
death. It was not merely gratitude
for past blessings, but womanly
sympathy for him in view of his expected sufferings, which prompted
her costly expression of love,
13. wherever
this gospel.Persons frequently perform. without the least thought of notoriety,
actions which are destined to make
them famous. No human being
could have foreseen what Jesus here
declares concerning the future fame
which would attach to Mary and
her simple act of love. On the
contrary, the act at first appeared
reprehensible, and was favorably
regarded by none present except
Jesus. His divine foreknowledge
is demonstrated by the literal fulfillment of h ia prediction, and ~
the knowledge of this incidem
reaches forward into coming agel
and spreads abroad still farther in
the earth. the demonstration be
comes continually more surprising
The A.lJreement with Ju da s, 14-16
(Mark xiv. 10, 11 j Luke xxii. 36.)
14. went to the chief priests.
--Judas knew, bVfllblic rumor, the
desire of the chie priests to secure
the death of Jesus, and he had
probably heard of their lately
formed 'purpose "to take him by
IIllbtilty (verse 4). When sueh

.&:Xvi.1~-21.]

MATTHEW.

called Ju'uas
Is'cariot,
went I the passover? 18 And he said,
unto the chief priests, 14 and said: Go into the city to such a man,
unto them, What will ye give I and say unto him, The Master
me, and I will deliver him unto saith, My time is at hand; I
you? Aud they covenanted with will keep the passover at thy
him for thirty pieces of silver. house with my disciples. Ie And
18 And from that time he sought
the disciples did as Je'sus had
opportunity to betray him.
appointed them; and they made
IT Now
the first day of the ready the passover.
feast of unleaveued bread the
20 Now
when the even \\'118
disciples carne to .Ie'sus, saying come, he sat down with the
[unto him], Where wil t thou twelve [disciples].
.1 And
lUI
that we prepare for thee to eat they did eat, he said, Verily I
17 UTI; Rcc,
-Omitted by Lach.,
Green, Alford. Tregelles.

2() ".ae~T';'V Added by Lach Tisch., T. S.

Green, Alford, Tregelles.

T. S.

plot i~ concocted
among a number I cnllcd the first day on this account.
of men, it is very likely .to reach
(See Ex xii. 14-20.)
the enr-s of some one fr-iendly to
18, at thy house.-It
was ensthe intended
vir-tim.
(Comp. Acts tomary
for all the residents
of .lexxi ii. 12-22.) .ludus wns therefore rusalern to open their houses fOI
well assured that he could make a ~ue8ts during this feast, and thereprofitable bargain"
ith the enemy.
tore Jesus might have presumed on
15, for thirty pieces of silver.
the hospitality
of almost anyone;
-ThE'
pieces of silver were most I but the probability
is that the man
likely the .lewish
shekel, and the to whom he sent this llH's>-age WAS
amount
$1500. This was a Iowan
acquaintance
and a friend.
price fin' .0 hase a deed : but .ludas
19. made
ready
the passover,
anticipated
no ~ersonal dan~er;
he - The making
ready consisted
in
shut out from his mind the thought
slayin~ and roasting
the lam]" and
of all other evil consequences
to providing
the unleavened
bread
himself and he expected
his task and bitter herbs which were eaten
to cost him hut a few minutes
of with it.
(Ex. xii. 8.)
labor when the time should come.
Conrersation about the Bctraual,
16. he sought opportunity.I
20-25. prark xiv. 11l-:21, Luke
He soon found the opportunity;
for : xxii. 21-23, John xiii. 21-35)
this contract
was entered
int on:
Wednesday
or Thursday
(verses 2, )
20, when the even was come.
3), and on Thursday
night the be- - ~he preparation
had her-n ina.le
travul occurred
durtn~ .the. afternoon
o~ T.IllIrsday,
and this IS the only incident
reThe Passorer Prepared, 17-19. ported by any of the c\:1ngeli,ts
(Mark xiv. 12-16; Luke xxii. 7- which certainly
occurred
on that
13.)
day. Jesus seems to have remuiur-d
17, first day of the feast.at Bethany
in the quiet circle of
Not the first of the seven d'lyS dur-l his intimnte
friends
until the pasing which
they
ate unleavened
I chnl slipper was ready n.t the close
bread, but the day in which they of the day. He was certainly outside
performed
the first act of preparaof the city when he sent the disci pIps
tion for the feast, the slaying
of to make prer.aration.
(See verse 18.)
the paschal lamb a.t evening.
and
21, 22. Lord, is it 11-- If the

I
1\

226

~1.-\'nIIEW.

[xxvi. ~-26.

Bay unto you, that one of you I that man by whom the Son of
shall betrnv me. 22 Awl they I man is betrn vcd ! it had been
were exee<:ding sorrowful, and good for that man if he had not
began overy one of them to say been born. "Then Ju'das, which
unto him, Lord, is it I? os And had betraved him, answered and
he answered and said, He that said, Master, is it I? He said
dippeth his hand with me in the unto him, Thou hast said.
dish, the same shall betray me.
2. And as they were eating,
"Tilt> :-;on of man goeth as it is .Ie'sua took bread, and blessed it,
written of him: but woe unto and brake it, and gave it to the
disciples had known what kind of and not the results which God maJ
a betrayal was meant, and that it have intended to j,rin~ out of his
was tu occur that night, they would I act.
The statement that "it had
have answered as positively as they I been ~()od lor that mall if he had
did in reference til denying him i not ber-n horn," is a d"nial of the
that tlie!;ht (ver"c 35 helow); hut doctrine of universnl salvation; for
they knew not what they might be if a man, after any conceivnhls
tempted to do in the distant future, amount of sufferinz; shall at last enand each only wished to know at joy everlasting life, it is not true
pre-a-nt whether he were the person of him that it had been better for
referred to.
him if he had not been born.
23. dippeth
his hand with
25. Then Judas ... answered.
me.-l t '''I" customary, as it is yet -The
object of this conversation
in Palestine. fur several persons to was both to show the foreknow ledge
dip bits of bread into a vessel of I of Jesus, and to give Judas 1\ Rolsauce which was served to them in [emn warnin~ ill reference to the
common. The answer did not dis- crime which he was about to comtinctiy designate .Iudas, for he still! mit, If it had been the purpoRe of
in(~uircd (verse 2;j), "~faster, is it I .Iesus to overwhelm
the )!;uilty
I? ' but it narrowed the field of wretch with f.ar and dismay, and
inquiry to the group of which he thert'by com pelf him to desist from
was one, and proved to the disci- his horrible undertaking, we can
pIes that Jesus was not speaking not conceive words better adapted
va;::uely. The more definite answer to this purpose_ Yet 80 utterly calwhich he gave privately to John lous had the conscience of Judas
was ~iven at a later moment, (John become that with brazen effrontery
xiii. 24-20.)
he usks, "Master, is it I?"
t:'uch
24_ but woe unto that man,hardihood in crime is a more conAlthough it was written of the Son vincirur evidence of deep depravity
of man, and predetermined hy God, I than his previous covenant with the
that he should go us .J udus had cov- ! chief pr-iests.
enantod,
is pronounced!
l' co
I ns tit
t d 24
Tid yet the_. woe id
f hi
h . T'lie 1
oras ,,"pper
III e , u?n . 11' as, an It IS 8'W_ ".
nn t at
30_ (Mark x iv. 2~-~fi; Luke
It had been good for 111mIf he had
.. 19 "0 - 1 C
. 23-"5)
not be en horn. This shows that a
XXII_ ,~,
or. xr.
-.
man who, bv a wicked act, brings
26. took bread.-As
none but
about a purpose of God, bears the unleavened bread was eaten during
lame ~U1lt as thou?h God had no the paschal supper, the bread which
purpose in it. It IS his own act: is here spoken of must have been
and motive for which he is judged, I unleavened, and this makee it

xxvi. 27, 28.]

MATTHEW.

disciples, and said, Take, eat; blood of the [new] testament,

this is my body. IT And he took which is shed for many for the
the cup, and gave thanks, and
gave it to them, saying, Drink I 'Z8 O.tvij< Ree. Omitted by Le.ch., Tisch.,
t so f
T. S, Green. Alford, Tregelles. N, 'B, L, &,
or thi IS IS Illy 33,Coptic.
Ye a 11 0 f I;
matter of propriety at least that and it is the usual mode of expresunleavened bread be still used in sing such an idea; e. g" The field
the Lord's fiupper.
ill the world; the good seed are the
this is my body.-It is held by children of the kingdom; the tares
the advocates of the doctrine of tran- are the children of the wicked one;
substantiation that these words are the enemy that Rowed them is the
to be understood literally, and that devil," etc.
(~Iatt. xiii. 38, 39.
the bread, therefore, was trans- See also verses J g, 20, 22, 23 of the
fonned into the actual hody of Je- I same chapter, and the note on verse
sus. It is also affirmed, although it, 29 helow.)
would by no means follow, that
27, Drink ye all of it.- All
when a priest consecrates the wafer the person", not all of the wine.
there is a similar transformation, Whether Judas was still present,
and the communicants eat not we are unable to determine with
bread, hut the actual body of Christ certainty.
.lohn, the only writer
under the app .
arance of bread. who mentions the departure of
Waiving all that may be said as to Judas, snvs that he went out immethe absurdity of this doctrine, we diately after the conversation about
content ourselve with the inquiry the betrayal: He then hal'ing rewhether the words of Jesus can be ceived the sop went immediatcly
thus understood: and in order to out." (.Juhn xiii. SU,) This would
the settlement of the question we settle the question if we could lUIplace ourselves in th,e position of certain whether the supper was
the apostles to whom the words instituted before or after this conwere first addressed. If, as Jesus versation ; but John Rays noth ing
spoke the words, this is my about tilt' institution of the supper,
1,,,dy," he had suddenly disap- and while Luke mentions it before
reared, and the apostles had seen the conversation in question, Matnothing but the bread, they would thew and ~lark both mention it
have understood that the u~Jy had after the conversation, and none of
been miraculously transfi)rm,(] into them ~ives any notes of tim!' by
the ],''If. Rut as hi~ body wus still which we can determine the ohronthere, and the loaf which he held in o\,,)!ical order of the two events.
his hands was also there; and as (Comp. !llal'k xiv. 18-25; Luke
his body st-ill remained there after xxii. 19-23.) The jJ1'"baldlily
is,
the loaf had been broken, and however, that there was no eating
passed .nround, and euten ?P, it is dOIl(,. :\f~er the institution ~)f the
impossible that they COUld have I Lord 8 Supper, that the sop gl\,Cn to
understood him all \lleanil\~ that '.Judas was tht'rdore given befort
the loaf wus literally hi~ body, and' the supper, and that he had already
impossible that he could have in- gone out when the supper was institended to he 80 understood. This tuted.
is an eud of the controversy. The
28. blood of the testament.language declare" onlv that the Instead of testament, the rendering
bre J. was a symbol ,;r his body, should be covenant. The term netD,

2z8

.MATI'HEW.

[ xx vi. 29-31.

remission of' sins. III But I say

unto you. I will not drink henceforth of this f'ruit of the vine,
until that day when I drink it
new with you in my Father's

kingdom. so And when they had

sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of' Ol'ives.
alThen suitli .Ie'sus unto them,
All ye shall be otlended because

pronounced
lin interpolation
here
by the critical authorities
(set' critical note), is found in Paul's report of the institution
of the supper (l Cor. xi. 25), whence
it was
doubtless
obtained
by the interpolator.
The covenant
referred
to is
the one mentioned
prophetically
by
Jeremiah
( s xxi. 01-34), and quoted
with comments
by Paul
in Heb.
viii i-13.
shed
for
many. -The
term
mrw!J is nut u-vd in oontrndistinotion from all, for we know by explicit statements
in other passages
that
.Iesus
died
for every
man.
(Heb. ii. \J; :,! Cor. v. 14, 15.) It
i~ used here as in Rum. v. 1.1, 1\1,
where
the context
shows that it
means all.
When the pt'rsons
ineluded
are contemplated
individua llv, the term mall.'! is employed
on aecou nt of the vast number of
them; for no man cnn number
the
individualfur whom Christ died.
But when
they are contemplated
under the feebler conception
of the
whole, thr- term all is employed.
for the
remission
of sins.T'hr-so words declare
the prime ohjcct of the death of Christ.
All
other purposes which it served are
subunl innte to this, and all other
ble8sin,!~ which his death secures to
us arc c.msequent
upon this.
Without the remission
of sins there
could he 110 happiness
for man ill
time or i" eternitv : with it there
is pe,wp f mind j"'r(' nil heaven
hercnfu-r . for he who dips witl.
all the si,,~ of hi, life forziven
has
nothirur to f<'ar l"'I'on<i the zruve,
and hcO> who l ivos in the daily for-.
giveneqs of hi" dnilv ains, lives in
blissful communion
with God.
29. drink it new with you.-

Tho literal use of wine is not here

meant;
for -Iesus does not literally
drink
wine with his disciples
in
the kingdom as it now is, nor will
he do so in the eternal
kingdom.
The term drink, therefore,
is' us-ed
figuratively
for that
communion
which Jesus has with his disciplea
wh ilo they are drinking
the wine
of the Lord's t'upper.
The term
new i~ most nnturallv
understood
as modifying
urine, but as the wine
of the supper
is not necessari lv
ueto wine, I think
it rather
illdlcates the lIew method of drinking
wine just indicated.
Oh"prye here that Jesus still calls
the wine" the fruit of the yinc"
after he had said of it, "This is my
blood." -a
clear proof that it
still uii ne, and had not been changed
into his actual blood.
30. when they had sung.-It
was a custom of the Jews, thouzh
the law did not require
it. to sing
Ps. cx iii-cxviii,
dUrln~ the paschal
~Ilpper.
They called this pas~age in
the Psalm the Hallel, because it 1,l'gin~ in the Hebrew with l Inl Lel u [tt h,
. into the monnt of Olives.~The
!rarden cu.llod Gcth-cmnne,
the pI'\.4
cise place
to which
they
wvnt
(verse ~6). wag at the bnse of the
~I"llJlt of (Jlives and was included
within its limits.

was

Desertion

and

Denial

Predicted,

31-3.').
plark
xiv, :'!fi-31: Luke
xxii. 31-:18; .loh n x iii. 3l'-38.)

31. offended because of me.~Ir. Groen

renders
it, "~hnll
be
stumbled
in me."
This is literal
and accurate.
"~tum"led"
is used
motnphor icnlly for their partial
fall
I when they fled from the danger,
: and" in me" indicates
that the 00t

xxvi .. '32-38. J

MATTHEW.

of me this night: for it iii written, I will smite the shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock shall
be scattered abroad.
"But after
I urn risen again, I will go before YOU into Gal'ilec. so Pe'ter
an~wered ana said unto him,
Though all men shall be offended
because of thee, ]et will I never
be offended. M e'sus said unto'
hiru,
Verily I say unto thee,
That this night, before the cock
crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
~ Pe'ter said unto him, Though

229

I should die with thee, yet will

I not deny thee. Likewise also
said all the disciples.
Then cometh Je'sus with
them unto a place called Gethseru'ane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go
and pray yonder. OJ And he took
with him Pe'ter and the two
sons of Zeb'edee, and began to
be sorrowful and very heavy.
as Then saith
I he: J&>'Usl unto
38 ;, '1'10'0;;< Added by Lach., TlBch., T. S.
Green, Alford, Tregelles.

cusion of the stumbling would be ane.- Gethsemane means a place

found in him: it was in his volun- of oil-presses, and doubtless this
tary and unexpected surrender to place had once been used for prcRsthe guart!~ who nrrested him.
ing out olive-oil, but it was at this
for it is written.-In
Zeelia- time a garden. (.John xviii. 1.)
riah xiii. 7, where the connection
37. he took with him.-To
the
shows plainly that the reference is main body of the disciples he had
to the Messiah, The smiting of a said, "Sit ye here while J go and
shepherd and the consequent scat- pray yonder," (36) but now he takes
terin~ of his flock of sheep, is a Peter and the two sons of Zebedee
striking symbol of thc scene at the nearer to the spot which he had seurr .st of .Iesus.
lected for his prayer.
32. before you into Galilee.38. then saith Jesus. - Mat.
T'his appointment to meet the dis- thew's rcmark in verse 37, that ,Jeciples in Galilee after the resnr-I SlIS "began to be sorrowful and
rection, was afterward referred to \'cry heavy," exprcsses what W!1.8
by the an~cl at the sepulcher, and apparent to the disciples from his
by .Iesus himself when he appeared manner.
Here he giveR the words
to the women. (xxviii. 7, 10.)
in which the sorrow was expressed.
33-35. will I never be offendeven unto death.-He
felt as if
ed-Nel'e1"
be stllml)led.-~o
read- he could not survive the pressure
er of this passage, not even a child, that was upon his soul, and the
can fail to see reflected in it the utter helplessness into which he had
ul"crtainty
of human resolutions, sunk is secn in the request to the
and man's i.~norance of himself. chosen three, "Tarry ye here, and
\Ve can not, for our own good, too watch with m.." He who had
frequently reflect on the incident, been their comforter in every hour
nor too earnestly pray, "Lead us of trouble and danger, now calls
not into temptation, but deliver us : on them for the help which their
frOIDevil."
wakeful sympathy would ~iye him
in the hour of his agony. WonderA~70nyin Gethsemane, 36-46. plarT!: ful sight I The Son of God longing
J[iv. 32-42; Luke xxii. 3\1-46; for the sympathy of human hearts,
John xviii. 1.)
and leaning in a time of weakness
on the arm of human friendship I
36. a place called Gethsem-

MA'ITHEW.

230

[xxyi.

39-44.

them, )Iy soul is exceeding

sor- i indeed is willing, hut the flesh is
rowful, even unto deat~:
tarry: weak.
n He went away again
ye here, and watch with me. the second time, and prayed,
And he went a little further, : saying,
0 Illy Father,
if 'this
an~ fell on hia f:l;'e, and yr:~yed, [el~)] lIlay not p:~"s a.way [fro!ll
saymg, 0 Illy f ather, If It he' me J, except I drink It, thy Will
possible, let this cup p~~ from be done.
Aut! he came and
me: nevertheless
not as I will, I found them asleep again:
for
but as thou wilt.
And he I their eves were heavy.
And
cometh
unto the disciples, and I he Id'i them, and \\'ent away
findeth them asleep, and saith
42
Bee.
Om itted hy Lach.,
unto Pe'ter,
What, could ye Tisch
.. T. S. Green. Alford. Tregelles, N..
not watch with me one hour?
!I. c, v, L. 1, 33, 102, etc., Sahidic, ..thlopetc.
II Watch and
pray, that ye enter !C, Ph. SYrIR'.
0()

Tb

not into temptation:

the spirit

7I'"OT-r1I>toJ'

42 a'lr' fP.OU ke.

Omitted hy Lach
Tlsch . T. S, Green, Alford, Tregelles,

Leaning, too, as so many sufferers urative U8e of the word cup, see
IUlI'e dune, on a broken reed l
note on xx. 22.
39. fell on his face and
40, findeth them asleep,prayed.lIe first kneeled down After utter-ing
once his prayer he
(Luke xxii. 41), and the II Lowed returns to the three disciples, that
his face to the ground-the lowlie~t he may p;et close to their side and
attitude of prayer, assumed only feel the suppor-t of their sympathy.
when the srrenjrth of man gives How shameful that he finds them
way under a load of sorrow, and asleep und utterly ohlivious of his
8'1l;"~ unutterable desire struggles sorrow I He cun not endure this:
within the soul. The burden on he wakes them up; and how touchth soul of Jl'SlIS is revealed in the inp; the reproof "CoulJ you not
pitPoll~ cry, .0 my Father, if it he stav awuk- with me one hour?"
po,;,ihle, 1et this cup pass from
41. Watch and pray.-Thollgh
me."
There is a pau"e-a 8.olf'lllnI sinking under the weight of his
and momentous pall~e freighted I own sorrow, he forgets not the danwith the destinies of a world-when'
(!:er which threatens his disciples.
there follows the ever hlessed words, : lIe exhorts them to watch for it
" Nevertheless, not as 1 will, but as' and against it, and to pray that
thou wilt."
! they" enter not into temptation; "
if it be possible.-I
n one point I that is, into the power and dominion
of view it was possible.
As he: of the temptation which was comcould. an hour later. have called for, inp;. 'I'hvn, as they awaken full of
twelve legions of anjl;,~l,.to deli I'eI' self-reproueh, he apologizes for
him (verse 5.3), 80 now the cup them by the remark ... The spirit
would have pussod from him had he indeed is willing, but the flesh is
refu-ed to drink it. But it was weak."
imposs ihle without frustrating the
42-44. the second time, ..
pllrl'''se for whir-h he had come into the third time.-The
severity of
the world. and ui,r"p;!Ll'!lin!!; the the Rtl'up;p;leis seen in the fact that
will Jf !lim who had sent him. If although at the close of his first
thut purpose. the salvation of men, rra.ver he was able to say, "Xot M
could have been ,tccompiished withwill, but us thou wilt," he returned
out it. the cnp both could and would to repeat the same pro.yer a second
han' passed from hi,,
On the fil-{-and a third time. The struggle WII8

xxvi. 45-47.)

MATTHEW.

again, and prayed

the third
time, saying the same words.
61 Then cometh he to I his: the I
disciples, and saith unto them,
SI('('p on now, and take your
~

T.!i.

,iTO;;

Rcc.

Omitted by Lach . Tisch.,

Ttegen ",.

Green.Alford.

perhaps in some degree protracted

by the indifference of his disciples,
whom he found asleep at each return
to their presence.
45,46. Sleep on now .. Rise.
-The command, "Hi,p, let us be
going," follows so closely on the
words, ":::lleep on now, and take
your rest," that some have suggested
the propriety of pointing the latter
clause interrogatively : "Do you
sleep on now, ami tuke your rest?"
But this is not at all necessary, nor
does it yield a sense in ~o complete
harmony with the context.
We
hIli e only to suppose, in order to
remove all difficulty, that between
the two remarks he saw the torches
of the approach in,!!;band of officers
led on hy .J udus. Corning the third
time to his slumberinu disciples,
resigned now to his fate, and feeling
able to hear without sympathy the
burden that was on his soul, he
eays to the three, Sleep on now,
and take your rest "-I will not
disturb your slumber a~ain on my
account
But just then the glimmer of torches is seen in the distance; he knows what it means,
and he exclaims, "Rise, let us be
g_: '1,!: for he is at hand that doth'
betrav me." The words, let U8 be
goir1i," were intended for them, not
for himself
.
I
"
It IS per laps III vain to attempt
lanati
fIt
an exp a~llltlOn 0 t ie ex. reme
agony which .lesua endured In the
gard;'n. That it was not an unmanly fear of death is sufficiently
proved hy the entire course of his
previous life, and is demonstrated
by the fortitude with which he actuIlly endured his cruel fate when it

231

rest:
behold, the hour is at
hand, and the Son of man is
betrayed into the hands of Bin.
uers.
'" Rise, let us be going:
behold, he is at hand that doth
betray me.
If And
while he yet spake, 10,
came upon him. The natural fear
of death, it is true, was saddening
to his soul, and the remembrance
of the world's cruelty in the past,
mingled with the anticipation of
their still greater cruelty and their
base ingratitude yet to be developed,
must have greatly increased the
intensity of this sadness; but when
we con;ider all this, and all that we
can hy imagination distinctly realize, we feel that we are still short of
the reality. There W8.8 something
in the dual nature of Jesus whieh
gave him an experience when about
to die for the sins (If the world
into which the human heart can
not enter.
Even when Paul attempts It remark on the subject, he
contents himself with these words:
"Who, in the days of his flesh,
when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with ~trong crying and tears unto him who was
able to save him from death, and
was heard in that he feared : though
he were a 80n, yet he learned "hedience by the th ings which he suffered."
(Heb. v. 7, !l.) Here let
our attempts at explanation rest,
and let UB rather direct our thoughts
to the cverlasting bonds of love
with which he has bound us hy enduring agony 80 great in our behalf.
('{
.
The Arrest, 47-.56
ar k XIV.
43 59' L k
.. 47 53 Joh
- ~,
u e XXII.
~,'
n
xviii. 2-12.)
47. one of the twelve.-As
Matthew had not mentioned the
departure of Judas ~rom the suppertable, he thought It necessary to
identify him here. 8.8 one of the
twelve. The multitude who aooom

232

MATTHEW.

Ju'das, one of the twelve, came,

and with him a great multitude
with swords and staves, from the
chief priests and elders of the
people. Xow he that betrayed
him gave them a sign, saying,
'VholUsoever I shall kiss, that
same is he: hold him fast.
d And
forthwith he came to
Je'sus, and said, Hail, master;
and kissed him.
wAnd .Ie'sus
panied him with swords and staffs
were considered
uecessar'y to overpower any resistance
winch might
be offured, and to prevent a rescue.
Perhaps,
also, onch needed the encourairemeut
of numbers to einboldell him
to lay hands
on one who
had wrought such miracles.
48, 49. gave them a sign.In the dim li~ht of the sinking
moon,* and in the shadow of the
temple
mount,
which
probably
stretched
ucross the valley,
only
those very familiar
with the features of Jesus could distinguish
him
from hi" disciples;
hence the sign
which Judas was to give.
That he
sclocted a kiss as the sign, shows
that he ftJoli8hly expected to deceive
Jesus
until the I!;uards would lay
hold of him.
When a man is enga~('d in crime, he is sure to be
guilty of some folly in the planning,
or in tho execution.
.ludus forgot
the superhuman
knowledge
of Je8UB, and
in the act of kissing him
gave the finishing touch to the picture of his own infamy.
Little did he
think that the kiss of .Iudas would
become !L proverb
in every nation.
50. wherefore
art thou come1
--.Jceu8
makes
no parade
of his
foreknowledge,
but, as if he were
taken
by
surprise,
he calls
on
Judas for a statement
of his pur-,
pose,
John
reports
more
fully'

[xxvi. 48-52.

I said unto him, Friend, wherefore

art thou come? Then came
Ithey, and laid hands on .Ie'sus,
i and took him. 51 And, behold,
one of them which were with
I Je'sus stretched out his hand,
and drew his sword, and struck
a servant of the high priest's,
and smote off his ear. ~'TheD
said Je'sus unto him, Put up
again thy sword into his place:

the conversation
Which here e.isued (John xviii. 4-8).
51. drew his sword.- -The apclItles were not in the habit of wearing swords, but Jesus bad made a
remark
at the supper which, bei-ig
misconstrued,
had caused them to
~rocure
two of these
weapons.
(Luke xxii. 36-38.) Peter had one
of them, and used it as here described
(John
xviii. 10), hut the
other
was in less valiant hands.
The blow was aimed at the head of
the servant,
and would probably
have
proved
fatal
had he Dot
dodged
and escaped with the lo~p
of an ear.
52. shall
perish
with
the
sword.-As
it is not true in history that all individuals who take
the sword perish with the sword
we must understand
*-his remark
rather of organized
communities
01
men, both political
and religious.
In this sense
the stutement
has
proved true, so far aR history
has
had time to test it. Every kingdom
which W3.S built up in ancient times
by violence has perish od, ani doubt108s those of modern
times will.
Popt'ry. nlso, which establiahed
itself by the sword and the fagot, has
been compelled
at last to succumb
to military power, and will probably be eventually
overthrown
bv
the same instrumentality.
So with
i ~lohammedaniBm.
It should
be
The moon was 1l1way8 full at the feast i further.
observed
he:e,
that
+.he
of the Pass over.
I reason
for commanding
Peter to

xxvi. 53-56.]

MATTHEW.

288

for all they that take the sword I said Je'sus to the multitudes
shall perish with the sword. 'I Are ye come out as against ~
r.3 Thinkest thou that I can not: thief with swords and staves for
now pray to my Father, and he: to take me? I sat daily [with
shall presently give me more you 1 teaching in the temple, and
than twelve legious of angels? ye raid no hold on me. 68 But
But how then shall the script- all this was done, that the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it
~ I th t
h
55 "pb< ".,.... &e. Omitted
by Lach.
IlllL~ t b?
e
u
a same our Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford, TregeUes.
'
put up his sWOI'd, W1!.8 not drawn
forsook him and fled.-In their
from the circumstances of the case. alarm the disciples forgot the pI'&It was not because the use of the diction about their dispersion like
sword would prevent Jesus from dy- sheep when the shepherd is smitin:.( for the world; nor because its ten (verses 31, 35), or else they
u~p was wronl!: in the cause of Je-. tholl:.(ht it was best to fulfill it; and
8U" but innocent in other causes; I' Jesus had himself demanded for
L11t
because "all who take the them the privilege of retreat, by
sword "hall perish with the sword." I 8ayilli!' ''If you seek me, let thes!'
Tilt' universality of the proposition! go their way."
(John xviii, 8.)
mu-le it ~ppli('ahle to the case of
ARGL'ME~TOF SKCTION7.
Peter. 1he statement has the form
of a prediction, and the furce of n
If Jesus had been put to death
prohihitiun in reference to appeals to I after violent reaistance, or after
the sword, whether by churches, na- exhausting all means within his
tions, ur other
organized bodies reach to escape death, he could not
of men.
have been preached to the world
53, 54. twelve legions of an- as a voluntary sacrifice for sin; and
g els.c-Pctcr's rcsistanee, even if : his cross, if robbed of this element,
allowuble, would have been in vain, I would have been robbed of the
for the guards had come expecting ~chief part of its power over men.
resistance and prepared for it; but In the preceding section, Matthew
Je~u>! here reminds Peter of the has exhibited more fully than before
proper and infinitely more effective the fact that his death was volundefense which God has provided for tary. Al!:ain and again, within the
his children.
The ministering au- section, have we seen .lesus referr-ing
gels are our guardians, and they to it as an event about to take
would have rescued Jesus had he place; the symbols which are to
demanded it; hut then the script- commemorate it throughout all time
ures and the purpose of God de- had been appointed; the final conelared in thorn would not have been sent of his soul, after a protracted
fulfilled; so he submitted.
strul!!!:lc in prayer, had beeu given;
55. 56. as against
a thief.-! all aid looking to his release.
Jesus tantalizes the guards with, whether from earth or frum heaven,
their cowardice in coming against I had bcen declined; and he now exhim with such an array of weapons, I tended his hands tu receive the
instead of making an open arrest bonds which were to be loosed ouly
in broad daylight. He was not like at the foot of the cross.
a thief plotting resistance or seekThe second object of the section ia
ing concealme"'nt, but "sat daily to show that the death of Jesus,
teaching in the temple."
which Willi thus voluntary on hlI

20

234

MATTHEW.

urea of the prophets might be

fulfilled. Then all the disciples
forsook him, and fled.
J7 And
they that had laid
hold on Je'sus led him away to
Ca'iaphas the high priest, where
the scribes and the elders were
assembled.
68 But
Pe'ter fol
lowed him afar off unto the high
priest's palace, and went in, and
sat with the servants, to see the
end. 68 Now the chief priests,
[anJ eklers.] and all the council,
!)tI Ka.i. 0'

'--

Ree. Omitted
Alford, Tregel les,

1rp~tTfiVTfPO'

Lach . T. S. Green.

by

- ~-----------

[xxvi. 67--61.

BOught false witness against Je'

sus, to put him to death; 10 but
found none [: yea), though
many false witnesses came C, yet
found the~ DODE').
At the 188t
came two [false witnesses), .1 and
said, This fellow said, I am able
to destroy the temple of God,
and to build it in three days.
60 &C. Omitted by Lach., Tlach, T.
S. Green, Tregelles.
6() 0"0 '''po. &c. Omitted
by
Tiach.,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregel\es.
6() o{I<v60/Lci.PTVP"
Bee. Omitted by Lacb.,
Tisch., T. 8 Green, A lford, Tregelles, /C.
B. L. I, 101. 118, 124, 209, P 8yriac. U. 8yr
lac, Coptic, Bahidic, tr ;')pic, etc.

part. was brought about by malice

and corru ption on the part of his
enemies.
It shows that the plot
for hi~ arrest was instiJ;!;ated by malice and tainted
with hypocrisy
(3-5 ); that it was rendered practl'
cable by bribery and corruption,
as
exhibited in the covenant with Ju
dus ; and that its execution was
marked by that cowardice
which
usuull attends corrupt transactions.
A II of these circumatances constitute an argument for his innocence,
by proving the malice, the hypocrisy, and the cowardice of his enemies.

THE

(xviii. 13), that they led Jesus first

to Annas, and that Annas Bent him
to Caiaphas.
were assembled.-While
Matthew here represeuts "the scribes
and the elders" a~ already assembled, Luke represents
them M
coming together ,. as soon as it WII8
day." (Luke xxii. 66.)
Doubtless
a part of them, having been notified
when Judas started with the band
to arrest Jesus, were already assembled, but the main body of them
did not arrive till about daylight,
nor did the regular proceedings begin till that time.
68, Peter followed him.-For
\ a more circumstantial
account of
8ECTlO:S VIII.
Peter's movements, and of his adTRIAL ~F. ~EStlS, XXVI. 57- mission into the palace of the high
XX-V II. 26.
priest, see John xviii. 15-18.

Testimony Hought In Vain, 57-6a; Con

69, 60. but found none.-The
detn ned on H.l. own Conf ".lon, 6:1- statement tha] " they found none"68; Per e r's n n Ia l , fi975; The ~'lnal
I
h
Counsel,
xxvII. 1,2;
Rernorse
and
that is, no fa se witness-thoug
Death of Jlloa_, 11-10;SfIence of Jp. many fulse witnesses carne, appears
.\1< he fore Prlate,
1114; Hambl"""
self-contrudietory.
But the term
Preferred , and til" Message (rom PI
late'.
WI re, 1;-"23; Pilate Yields to witness,
in verse 59, means testithe People. 2-1--26.
mony; and testimony"
to put him

Te&timony Sought in Vain, 57-63.

(Mark xiv. 53-59; Luke xxii. 71;
John xviii. 19-23.)
67. to Caia phas. - Matthew
omit. the fact mentioned by John

to death,"-testimony
on which he
could be condemned to death i and
it wall lluch testimony that they
found not, "though many false witnesses came."
80-62, At the last came two.

~,.Pl

t52--m.]

MATTHEW.

a ~n<1 the h~l!h priest arose, and

said unto him, Auswerest
thou
nothing?
what is it which these
witness asrainst thee?
a But J(>'~\lS held his peace.
And the high priest unswered
and said unto him, I adjure thee
by the living (;()d, that thou
tell us whether
thou be the
Christ, the Son of God. 8< J e'sus
saith unto him, Thou hast said:
nevertheless I say unto you,
Hereafter
shall ye see the SOil

of: man sitting on the right hand

of power, and coming in the
clouds of heaven.
lib Then
the
high priest rent his clothes, sayiug, He hath spoken blasphemy]
what further
need have we
witnesses? behold, now ve have
heard
I his: the I blasphemy,
oa \Vhat
think
ye?
TI1PV answered and said, He is gui"lty of
death.
87 Then
did they spit in

'Of

6:, ai"ov &0. Omitted by LIlCh., Tisch.,

T. S. Green, Alford, Tregel les,

-The~e
two came nearer givin" adjure thee by the living God,"
the required
testimony
than th; were intended to put Jesus (In hi.
other": but while the ir starement, if oath. The question, "whether thor,
true, would have convicted .I(',\\\~of art the ChriRt, the Son of Oud,"
what might be considered a "ery shows that Cuiuphas understood corhonstful
speech, it could hardly redly 11IIe!fully the claim" of J"8US.
have been construed as hlusphoury ;
64. Thou hast
said. - .Iesus
and consequently,
thout.;h Caiuphus
might with all propr iety have redemanded of Jesus, in a tone of fused to be made a witness og:lin~i
trill mph, "Answerest
thou Cloth- himself, but he declined to take ading." he was ovidcntlv unwilling to vantage of his privilege, and anrest the ease on this testimony.
swered the question in the nffirlll!\O
63. Jesus held his peace.tive, by the Jewish formula, "Thou
Hu.l .lesus answered, and explained hast said;" that is, thou ha-t said
what he really meant by the speech what I am.
about huilding the temple in three
Hereafter
ye shall see.-Kot
days (see .Ioh n ii. 19-:!:!), it would content with answering the queshave mude his cause appear no' tion, .JeAII. announces another meetbetter in the eyes of hi" jlld~l.'s, ling hetween himself and the assernand it would have gil'en hi. enemies bled elders, in which their relative
a fresh notice, which he did not wish I p().ition~ will be rever-ed ; then he
them to huve, of his intended re<ur-I will he on the right hand of power,
rection.
lIe wisely chose, there- find they will be the prisoners before, to hold his peace.
i fore his bar.
.
. I 65. rent his clothes. - Here
C(I/I(/pmllrd
on His I>1NI Crm(eSS)fHl,
C'
h
.l!!
.
II
~'~-f:~ (~r k " ~O-D;' I k
,alaI' n~ noted the iypocr ite.
~
t),
,.
dIU
xiv. u
J,
,11 0
rl d t I nr tl e stater er t of
XXII
Go-il)
,W:18 ga,
0
ie:
1,
I
1\ 1
Jcsus : It was the answer he was
63. the high
priest answertrying to extort from him; and yet
ed.-The
~iJp\le'e of ,Ieono hall It he pretended to bt' exceedingly
si~lIificance. all.] to thi- the hi!!;h shocked when he heard it.
priest unswr-rod. It mount that the!
66. guilty of death.-That
is
testimonv of the witnesses was un-' guilty (If a rrime worth v of deathworthy ,;f 1\11answvr : and the high' the ~rime of hlasphenlY in claimpriest therefore called on him for his, ing to be the Son of God.
own testimony.
The words, "I I 67, 68. they spit in his face.

236

MATIHEW.

[xxvi. 68-75.

his face, and buffeted him; and

others smote him with the palms
of their hands, 08 saying, Prophesv unto us, thou Christ, 'Vho
is 'he that smote thee?
a9 Now Peter sat without in
the palace: awl a damsel came
unto him, saying, Thou also
wast with .Ie'sus of Gal'ilee.
TO But he denied before them all,
saying, I know not what thou
sa vest. TI And II" hen he was
gone out into the porch, another

maid saw him, and said unto

them that were there, This fellow
was also with Je'sus of Naz'areth.
TO And again he denied with an
oath, I do not know the man.
TI And
afJter awhile came unto
him they that stood by, and said
to Peter, Surely thou also art
one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 14 Then began he
to curse and to swear, saying, I
know not the mall.
And imruediately the cock crew. T& And

The ~pitting and uuffeting were

done, not uy tho meui hers of the
court, but hv "the wen that held
.Je"I~." (Luke xx ii. o;~-65.) Matthew speaks indefin itely, not u~ing
the pronoun in close connection
with the preceding context.
He
also omits the J,Jindfolding mentioned hy Luke; hut. his statement
that they demanded,
" Prophes1.
unto us; who is he that smote thee, '
implies tho blindlold ing. Had he
not been blindfolded he could have
seen who smote him. !Iere one of
tho sacred narratives incidentally
IU pplcments
the other. and furnishes evidence for the truthfulness of both.

71, 72. into the porch.-Xot

a
porch, in our sense of the term. It
was the arched pa~Ha~e (rlVA':'V)
which led from the street throll~h
the front part of the building into
the court.
another
maid.-By
comparing
the parallel passageH the reader
will see that after the charge was
first made by the porteross, i t wus
repeated by yuite II number of
others, both male and female. and
that Peter made various a nswers.
though all amounted to hut three
denials.
73. they that stood by.-llere
the by-standers in general unite
in the clamor, and Matthew ceases
to designate individuals.
thy speech bewrayeth
thee.flel/lrayetA is ob~olete for betraueth,
Peter lind the other Galileans spoke
the same lan/l:lllll!:eaH the .Iews of
.Ierusalem, hut they had some peculiur pronunciations
like the provincialisms of our own country, by
which they were distinguished.
From his being a Galilean, they inferred that he was a follower of
.Jcsu8-an illogical conclusion, and
I yet a correct one.
74, 75. Peter remembered.The wonder is that he did not remember the words of Jesus the
moment he Legan to fulfill them;
I but the excitement of the moment

Denial, 69-7.'i. (Mark xiv.

66-72; Luke xxii. 54-6:!; .John
sviii, 17,18; 25-:!7.)

Peter's

69. without in the palace.He was without as regard~ the

apartment in which the Banhedrim
was in -csaion,
but within ItS
regards the palace; for he was in
the open court around which the
pulace was built,
69, 10. a damsel eame.-Bhe
came to the gate, at .Iohn's request,
to let Peter in (;John xviii. 16, 17),
and then she came to him at the
ire where he was wnrmirlg him'01 (~ark xiv. 66, 67).

xxvii. 1.]

l\U.TTHEW.

237

Peter remembered the word of deny me thrice. And he went

.Iesus, which said [unto him], out, and wept bitterly.
XXVII. 1 When the morning
Before the cock crow, thou shalt
was
come, all the chief priests
75 ai'T<f R(c. Omitted bv Lach., 'I'lsch.,
and elders of the people took
T. 8. Green, Alford. Tregelles.
rendered' him oblivious of every
The honesty and candor of the
thing except the present danger, sacred historians are strikingly exuntil a cock, perhaps at roost in hibited in the fact that they all
the very court where he WRS, rang mention Peter's denial. 'When the
out h is clarion notes on the 1II0rn- nnrratives of Matthew, Mark, and
ing air, and brought back the en- Luke were published, Peter was in
tire spppch of .1 esus to Peter' 8 the midst of his career as chief of
memory.
A )!:1ance from the eye the apostles to the Circumr-ision:
of Jesus at thr- -ume moment helped and" hen .lohn's was published he
to hrin)( hi in to consciousne-s. Over- had ended his career, and his
Will'itlll'd uud (oreed to teurs, he memory was embalmed
in the
wr-nt out. that he lUight hide his hearts of millions.
Il is reputation
hitter we('pill~
was u larp;e part of the reputation
It i~ 'lIrpl'i,ill!J; that Peter wns of the entire Church, and while he
cal,,,l"e of such 1\ deniul, hut there was still alive it would be supposed
tUP severul eousiderations
that help that u ndue mention of 80 discreditto a('I~t1Ulltfor it. When he said, able an incident in his history
the night hefore, that h(' would fol- would be offensive to him. Yet,
1(,,," .ICHI8 to prison and to death, without regard either to the feelhe spoke his real sentiment: and in!!H of Peter or to the good name
that he would, under ordinary of tho Church, they all mention it.
civcum-tunces, have 1II.'en true to They mcntiou it, too, after having
his plellge, is proved hy the fact omitted many things, in preference
thut when the guu'rds appeared he to which "'0 would suppose thut
was ready to fight the whole hand they would have omitted this.
sirurle-hunded.
But when .JeHls An uninspired
historian
would
eouuuunded him to put up his have been certain to omit it. or
sword, nnd then allowed himself to ~ive the most ample apology
to be bound and led away, Peter for It.
foresaw the result; his hope of the The Filial n
1
.. 1 ?
com iug kingdom expired, his faith
t,
Cou nset, X X\" 11
.-.
in Jesus as the expected Me-siul,
(:'\Iark xv, 1; Luke xxi ii. 1; John
xviii. ~8.)
wavered, and with the loss of faith
and hope he lost all courage. Then,
1. took counsel.-The
counsel
huvinz denied once, he was dri .en now taken was different frOTHthat
to desperation, and plunged head- described in the previous chn pror.
lon~ into I-!:uilt,until the reproach- They hud then pronounced him
ful glance of .lesus accompanying
worthy of death; they now take
the shrill signal of the cock rou-cd coulI,;el" to rut him to d.'atll."
It
again the man that was in him, was not lawful for the ::-:.lllhldl.il?
und bruuuht hill! to r"l,elltall<:e. to put :lily one to death (./01111 x v n r
l l is -peedv reco .pl'Y uttc-t- the: 31), thnt 1")\\or having been taken
nouilitv of his character : for the 1awuv bv the Romans and lodired
good man is not he who never sins, I ill 'the" Roman govern"r.
The
blithe who quickly repents of sill uud i question now discussed was the
makes all possible atonement for it. I best method of obtaining Pilate'.

238

MArrHEW.

counsel agamst Je'sus to put hUll)

to deat h
.LIlII w hen the) had
bound In m, they led hun .1'\ .LY,
and deliver ul hun to Pun'tms
Pi'Iate the gO\ ernor
Il''hen J u'd IS, "Inch had be-

[ "{X

vii 2-4.

tr L}ed hun, when he saw that

he was condemned,
repented
hun-elf, and brought agam the
th2rty 1)\<.-('e8of silver to the
chief pr iest-, and elders, 'sa) iug,
I have sinned III that I have be-

prie-ts to return the money they

were In the temple (verse [. hut
after the coudcmnation
hy the S LIlhedrrm
' the whole multitude
of
them arose and led hun to Pilate'
2 When they had bound hrm.c- (Luke x xur I) and they rem lllll'd
He WI" I, .und when be WIS hrst I about the hall of PII ito until
be
arr estr d (.1 lm X\1I1 11) and the pronounced
the desired sentc nce of
f'u.t th It h "t~ now bound d!!:!Llll death
I t was now time for th, m
~ll(m~ either
th It Ius bonds
had to be at their posts III the temple to
hCPIl
lo(),ed \\ h 11 In the presence
execute
the mot nltl!.( ~CIvic and
of the" mho.h lin, ()I that he was there Jud is found them
The In
n iw hound III 1(' ~((lllely
on uc cident IS mti oducod In ndv-ince of
count of the _I ~ 1t"1 ,\ tn~er of hIS Its chronologie II Old, r 80 '1.~not to
helll! res ucd by hIS frrends
The interrupt
the -ubseque nt n u r ntum
lutter I~ the mol c probable 'UppO~Irepented htmself -'1 hl' ,"\'ord
trnn
here rendered
repented
(,..,-r",,..E"A.OPontius PIlate the governor - ,..",.) means as we hd\ C -ili eady
Aft. r Ai chal ius - m of Herod the st ited under X,(I 29 d2 not to re
Orp It (11 22) had renrned
over pent
hut to I egret
I n this place
.Iu It \ ten Y drs he w \8 deposed by the 1egret was mo~t Intense amountthe R)1ll m ,.!;()\ornment
and Judea
Ill,.!; t i remor-a
\V IQ pit, t I lind r PI ()' UI itors sent
4 the innocent blood -" )t
out fJ om R .me
I'd cte \\ I'! the arxth the innocent blood
the IIItu le IS
of till -e md WIS tppomted
In the not 111the O1lgIn t1 -md Ib not nro,l
twelfth vo Ll of flh rIUS f''8s'1.r or ed III Enzlrsh
ThIS confessron It \8
about th'ret' ve-irs bef re the be.nn
been rIghtlY r<'g'1.rded 18 Forcible
mn.; of .lohn ~ mll11~try
(Comp
te-stimony
In iavor of ,IC~Il~
If
Luke 111 1)
He h id now been In .Iud is could It 1\1' n'1.111ed as III exoffice -ibout SIX ye LIS HJ~ ch rr cuse for hnn-relf any \\ i ong-d.unz
actor 18 sufficrcntly mdrc ited by the III the hfe of his VINIIll he would
mordents
connected
with the de uh sur elv have dono so uid h iv e s iv ed
of Jesus
HIS officr tl c u eer IS lum If the mOL trfic-rtron of II) Lklllg
fully descrrbod
In .Io phu~ md a I th r confes-mn
Hut .111,1" h til envery ~UCCll1~t account of It IS ~l\en 110Vlld everv p()~~lble '1'1}(lItlllllty uf
ID "WIth 8 Du.tnm iry
knOWIng the prn ue life of ,le.1I8
d [) In th 0( J IId av and
.t'111)"e
an
h If he hronOllnce,1 lmn Im nm.e Int
3-10
e 11lU~t iv e h""n ~()
t I" tie
IITlWII1111gtestunony
of an enemy
3 saw that he was condemn- whose r-verv 1l1tl'rl'~t prompted h nn
ed -Thp
con Iornnanon
IS th rt by to WIthhold
It
rhe only escape
Pil-ite not th Lt by tho Sanhedrrm
from the arzument
would
he to
ThIS appears from the f'lct that deny the Cledibrlitv
of the story I
when Judus came to the chief I but thIS IS prevented by the naturaleunsent
to the execution
of Jeaus
Doubtles
the course
wluch they
prnc eedcd to t Ike hefore Pilato was
the oue which
they
now agreed
upon

)IAITHEW.
tJayed the innocent blood. And
they said, What is that to us?
8~ thou to that.
6 AmI he cast
down the pieces of silver in the
temple, and departed, and went
'lel'8 of the description,
and by the
eX\leeding
improbability
that just
such a story could have been invented.
What is that to us1-This
reply
of the priests was both hY{locritical
and cruel.
If .lesus was innocent,
it concern ed them as much as it did
Judas, and now that they had used
him ns 11 tool, it was the extreme of
meanness to try to throw the entire
responsibilitj'
on him.

239

and hanged himself

And th!1
chief priests took the silver
pieces, and said, It is not lawful
for to put them into the treasury,
because it is the price of hlood,

to shake his purposc.

He had told
the disciples
that one of th ern
would betray him, and by the an
nouncemcnt
had drawn from them
an expression
of horror
against
such an act.
He had then pointed
out .Iudus as the mun, and had
said in his heRring that it were
better for him that he had never
been born tlmn that he should do
the deed.
At last, when he wus
uhout to depart from the ~upper to
5. he cast down the pieces.- fulfill his contract, Jesus had ,aid.
Bad as Judas
was, there is one with
reproachful
sadness,
"That
point in which he compares
favor- thou docst, do quickly."
Deaf to
ably with many lIl on who consider
all these warnings,
and untouched
themselves
his superiors.
lIow by sympnthy
fur his unresentful
many there
are possessed of ill- victim, he had doggl'dly nud stol id ly
gotten
gain who never think
of maintained
his purpose.
It was
returning
it, but cling to it with not until his purpose was /l:uined.
desperation
until death loosens their lund consequences ngainst wh ivh he
grasp I But .Iudus could
not do had deliberat ...
ly shut his ...
yes lJ<'gan
this: he offer, to return
it, and to show themselves,
that he rl'alizpd
when
the
offer
is refused
he how worthless
was his prize !llId
dashes
it on tho ground
Il8 a how villainous
the means by wh ich
thing that he hates.
\Vhile in pur- he had won it. So it is with e'-ery
suit of that mOlH'Y it glitterl'd
in man who comes under the dominion
his eyes: but now thnt he hns it he of this base passion:
it blinds his
spurns it I1S a thing nccursed.
eyes and blunts
his scnailrilitioa
went and hanged himself.- while in the pursuit of gold, only to
The extreme
remorse
of Judas is, show him at last that he has barhardly reconcilable
with the idca ' tered hi, soul fOl a rrice which,
that he had been moved by malice! even while he holds it III his handa,
toward .lesus, and it shows that in becomes un object of lonth ing and
all prohability
he had not expected
disgu~t.
a fatal result,
He had seen .Iesus
6. It is not lawful.-It
would
escape from death
too often
to be almost incredible.
did not thou.
think
that he would
now allow sands of other
examples
present
himself to be slain.
He had been i themselves,
that men could be as
instigated
to the foul deed of he-! blind
and
inconaistent
11,
these
rrayal by love of money alone, and chief priests and lders ; too connever has that overmaster-ing
pu~- seientious
to put this blood muney
aion
displayed
its power
more into the Lord's
treasury,
hut not
~trikingly.
Jesus had said every at all scrupulous
about paying
h
shing to him that had a tendency
out as the price of innocent blood.

240

MATTHEW.

And they took counsel, and

bought with them the potter's
aeld,
to bury
strangers
in.
I Wherefore
that field Wag called,
The fiel!l of blood, unto this
day.
Then Wag fulfilled that
which was spoken by Jer'emy
the prophet, saying, And they
took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price of him that was valued,
whom they of the children of
Js'rael did value;
10 and
gave

[xxvii.

7-:3.

them for the potter's field, lUI

the Lord appointed me.
11 And
-Ie'sus stood before the
governor:
and
the
governor
asked him, saying, Art thou the
King of the Jews?
And J e' Bill!
said unto him, Thou
sayest.
II And
when he was accused of
the chief' priests and elders, he
answered nothing.
\I Then
said
Pi'late unto him, Hearest thou
not how many things they wit-

Well did .Tt'.U8 charge them with good, give me my price; and if not,
straining out gnat~ and swallowing forbear. 80 they weighed for my
camels. In the present instance, price thirty pieces of silver, And
I,()(', the gnat was onc of their own
the Lord said to me, Cast it unto
mnking : for it was their own tru- the potter: a /!:oodly price that I
ditinn and not the law which for- was prized at of them. And I took
bade tho putting of ~u"', money I the thirty pieces of silver and cast
into the treasury.
Thov are not I them to the potter in the house of
\Jtc only men in history who hnvo the Lord."
(Zech. xi. 12, 13.) It
been less scrupulous about shedding is altogether
probable that the
-nnocent blood than about the ob- quotation in the text is a free reno
servance of their own traditions.
dering of this passage, and that the
7. the potter's field.-'l'he
defi- name .Jeremiah has been substituter
nite article shows that it was some by transcribers for that of Zechwell known potter's field, and the ariah.
It may he, however, that the
low price indicates that it was but quotation is made from some passaglt
(1 Arnall piece of ground,
or one of of Jeremiah's prophecies not now ex.
little value.
The strangers, for tanto This is a question for future
whose burial-place it was purchased, investigation by critical scholars.
were of course poor strll:nge,rs, and Silence of JeMl8 before Pilate,
hence the modern application of
11-14
(~1 k
2-5 )
the name "potter's
field" to all'
. .vrnr xv.
.
burial-grounds for the poor.
11. the King of the Jews.8. unto this day.-This
remark Pilate understood the cause of
shows that Matthew wrote a con- Jesus better than the Pharisees
sidorable length of time after the pretcnded to understand it: for altransaction-long
enough for it to though in nnswnr to his question
be worthy of remark that the field Jesus admitted that he claimed to
still retained its name, "The field be King of the Jews, Pilate 80 conof blood."
strued this claim that he found no
9, 10. spoken by Jeremy the fault in Jesus. He knew that the
prophet.v-Xo such pa88a~e as the kingdom in question was not to be
one bere quoted is found III the eO/;- a rival of Ceesar's.
tant writings of Jeremiah : but the
12-14. he answered nothing.
Collowing pflssage from Zechariah -It was to the accusations of the
bears a striking resemblance to it: I F"i~~~Qand elders that he answered
And I said to them, If you think nothing.
He left Pilate to discover

uvii.

14-20.]

MATTHEW.

2-tl

ness against thee?

\6 And
he
answered him to never a word;
insomuch that the governor marveled greatly.
"Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto
the people a prisoner, whom
they would.
18 And
they had
then a notable prisoner, called
Bara b'bas.
IT Therefore
when
they were gathered
together,
Pi'late said unto them, Whom

will ye that I release unto you?

Barab'bas,
or Je'sus which is
called Christ?
18 For
he knew
that for envy they had delivered
him.
II When
he was set down
on the judgment seat, his wife
sent 'unto him, saying, Have
thou nothing to do with that
just man: for I have suffered
many things this day in a dream
because of him. 10 But the chief
priests and elders persuaded the

from the words and actions of his

accusers themselves that their accusations were false and malicious.
There is no vindicntlon 80 complete
as that which is found in the proofs
presented by the accuser: this vindication was accorded to -Iesus by
PiIltte.
marveled greatly.-Pilttte
had
never before known a prisoner, accused of a capital crime, and prosecuted by powerful enemies, appear
so indifferent to the result of his
trial. He marveled greatly, because
he felt sure that Jesus could vindioate himself, and yet he was making
no effort to do 80.

himself more popular, to release to

the people such 0. prisoner as the
majority of them would call for:
hence the custom here stated.
16. a notable prisoner.-For
what he was notable, Matthew does
not say; but Mark and John incidentnll'y supplement his account by
supplyiru; the needed information.
(See .lohn xviii, 40, and note on Mark
xv. 7.) Here again the narratives
furnish incidental proofs of each
other's fidelity to the truth.
18. for envy.-Nothing
had
transpired during that morning to
convince Pilate that they were
moved with envy toward Jesus, except as he connected it with what he
had known of their feelings before.
This shows that he was familiar
with the issues between the parties.
19. his wife sent to him.-The
statements concerning Barabbas,
and the people's preference for hi II! ,
are interrupted in order to mention
this message from Pilate's wife, and
from this we infer that the message
was received at this juncture.
He
had probably left her in bed, and
the early arousing of her husband to
hear the case of Jesus had caused
her, when falling asleep again, to
have the dream III question. She,
too, it seems, was already convinced
that Jesus was a "just man."
20. persuaded the multitude.
-The
eommon people who had

Barobbas Preferred, and the Message from Pilate's Wife; 15-~3.

(Mark xv. 6-15; Luke xxiii. 1823; John xviii, 39, 40.)
15. to release a prisoner.Under the ordinary and just administrntion of government the people
do not desire ~he release of prisoners; but Judea was It conquered
country, and the .lews naturally
sympnthized with their own countrymen who were prisoners in the
hands of the Romans, even when
the imprisonment was just; and
especially was this the case in regard to political prisoners.
It
added, therefore, to the generalll:ood
feeling prevalent during the Passover, and rendered the p;overnor

21

242

MATTHEW.

multitude

that they should ask

and destroy Je'bu~.
'I The
gO\ ernor
answ ered and
said unto them, Whether of the
tW,lI11 will v e that I rele r-e unto
you?
'Ilie) s.ud, Barab bas,
2J Pilate
-att.h unto them, \Vhat
shall I do then with .Ie'sus winch
18 called Chrr-t I They all s.lJ
~Ullto him], Let 111m be crucified
And I the govei nor
he I said,

Barab'bas,

12 allTo/!lee
Orn ltte d bv Lach , Tisch,
T S Gre~ll, Alford 1 rcgclles
2J ~Y'''wv Ree
Onutt, d In T S Green

hy tln tuno '.'(,lIdded

about 1'1late ~ pretoi uun wei e n .t of them
selve so dr- tlfl'cted tow ird ,Jp,u" .1"
to III ofer B LI'lhb IR on the cuntr u v I'd ite III Ide the prop()~ d to
tl"'111
11\ the expect uion
that they
would C til r. r .Iesu.md th It he
would thus ,;('t rid of the ca-,e but
the chief prJCsts and elder-s pu
SUiL /, d
the multitude
and their
perqu I_IOns prev.uled
They doubt
Ie repl esented to the people that
Jesus had been gl\llty of blasphemy
and th it he It ttl alro-uly been trred
and
convicted
by
the
highest
n ibunal of their n iuon
'I'his story
strongly
supported
by the most influent! il men of thf' city produced
a sudden r evolunon III ~\ubhc sentiment so thar the multitude
whoso
friendelup
for .lesu s had two d lyS
ago made the Ph lrl~e"~ afraid to
arrest him ("{,,{VI 4 'i) were now
persu ided to crv out for rus crucifixion
'I'lu W'lq douhth.ss
a part
of the pl m 1.!1 eed upon at the
eoun-e] beforp they hr ouzht Jesus
to I'd ite
(V erse 1 )

[xxvii. 21-24.

Why, what evil hath he done?

But thev erred out the more,
saymg, Let him be crucified,
When Pi'late saw that he
could prevail nothmg, but that
rather a tumult
was made, he
took water,
and
washed his
hands before the multitude,
saymg, I am innocent of' t the blood
of this Just person:
tins blood I:
Alford Trego lies, ~, B, 83, 69, 102, Sahldlc,
Armenian
etc
24 TOU /i ccov Reo
Omitted by Lach.,
TIsch, T S Green, Alford, Tn gelles, B, D.
102, a b, etc

tion , no attention
to
nothing
hut an insane
the one thing desired

Pilate
('hrk
:!'i)

entreaties:
clamor

for

Yields to the People, 24-26.

xv 15, Luke xxui
24,

24 and washed his handa=-

Pilate could have done nothmg

to
moi e forcibly declare the Innocence
of Jesus
If the people had not
been phrensied,
when
they
saw
111m solemnly
washing; hrs hands,
and declaring
himself free from the
mnocent
blood about to be shed,
they
would
surely
have
been
deterred
from their purpose
But
while Prlate s act had thrs slgmtic mce
It also ,hspla'yed
his own
weakness
and hypocrisy
He was
there
with
h is men of war to
execute
justice among; the people,
md to restrain them when tempted
to deeds of 1'1" los-ness
but inste id
of tlu he consents to the murder of
a man III the sallie breath III which
he prOnOlll1! es hun innocent,
and
he h) por-ritrc-rlly pretends
to wash
which rested
22, 23 what evil hath he away a responvrbihty
done 1-l'lhlte
R questmn
W.l~ pertimore on 111m than on any other
nent and dern-rnded 1111unswe:
hut man
For thl~ act hrs name must
in the response
we -ee not h ml!; ever .t uid mtunately
ussocrated
but the unreasonmg
.plrlt of .\ mob
with th It of Judas Iscariot
and the
no argument
no answer
to ob- world ., .ircely know! which to look
jl'oti()n~,
no putienoo with ()PPO~Iupon With grea.ter
loathing
the

~L\TTHEW.

xxvii. 25-29.]

243

see ye to it. or. Then answered

all the people, and said, His
blood be on us, and on our children.
Ie Then released he Barab'bas unto them: and when he
had scourged Je'sus, he delivered him to be crucified.

., Then the soldiers of the governor took Je'sus into the common hall, and gathered unto
him the whole band of soldiers.
18 And
they stri pped him, and
put on him a scarlet robe.
28 And when they had platted a

time-sorving
politician,
or the
money loving traitor.
25. His blood be on us.-With
the same desperation which prompted the cry, "Crucify him," the peopIe accepted the blood guiltiness
thrown upon them by Pilate. Little
did they think what fate they were
bringin~ down on themselves and
their children.
26. released
Barabbas.-We
know not what afterward became of
Barubbas. If he lived to know more
of Jesus, he must have experienced
strange reflections in reference to
hi. own escape from crucifixion.
The sentence of death pronounced
agaiuet Jesus released one man from
a similar death. and the execution of
the sentence opened for every man
a way of escape from death eternal.
The innocent suffered that the
guilty might go free, Barabbas
being the first man saved by the
death of Jesus.
scourged
Jesus.-It
WIUI customary to scourge men Just before
crucifying them, and Pilate made
no exceRtlOn in favor of "this just
person.

which he had always openly proclaimed, and which he had substantinted by his life and his miracles.
The man who betrayed him into
the hands of his enemies declared
him innocent, and the judge who
pronounced the sentence of death
declared him, in the same breath. B
just person. Never did such circumstances attend the death of any
other man.
'l'hey attest with a
force which no honest mind can
resist, the unspotted character (If
Jesus, and thereby the,Y attest the
truthfulness of his cluim to be the
Christ, the Son of the Iiving God.
Moreover. his demeanor throughout
these iniquitous proceedings, 80
perfectly in harmony with his exalted pretensions, affords no mean
support to the argument in his favor.

ARGUMENT

011' SEOTION

8.

The evidence which the foregoing section furnishes in behalf of

Jesus is very striking.
It shows
that a court organi.ted to convict,
and resorting to the most nnserupulous measwrea to effect their purpose. utterly failed to find in hi&
conduct any thing worthy of ceneure. much less any thing worthy
of death. His condemnation was
bl\lled on his confession of that

SECTION IX.
DEATH.BURIAL.ANDRESURREOTION
oFJESUS,XXYlI 27-XXVIII.20.
MMked and LAd aw ay by the Aoldlers,
27-32; The Crn('lflx,oll,
33-:\8; R vlllng. of the People. ;;9-44; The Parkness and the End. 45-56; The Burial,
1i7-RI; Precaution
of the Phnrtsees,
62-Uti/ The Women at the Sepulcher,
xxvt I. I-Ii; Jesus Appears
to the
Womeu,
9, \0' The l'lolY of the
WntchJ.,1l-15; the Meet ing In Galilee. 16-..

Marked and Led away by the Soldiers, 27-32. (Mark xv. 16-21;
Luke xxiii. 26-32; John xix.
1-3.)

27-29. Mocked him.-It

eeeIDI
that after the scourging, Jesue WIUI
I/:iven up for a few momenta to the
plel\lure of the heathen soldiery.

244

MATfHEW.

crown of thorns, they put it

upon his head, and a reed in his
right hand: and they bowed the
knee before him, and mocked
him, saying, Hail, King of the
Jews I 10 And they spit upon
aim, and took the reed, and
smote him on the head. II And
after that they had mocked him,
they took the robe off from him,
and put his own raiment on him,
and led him away to crucify

[xxvii. 30-86.

Ihim. II And 88 they came out,

they found a man of Cyre'ne,
Si'mon by name: him they Compelled to bear his cross.
II And when they were come unto a place called Gol'gotha, that
is to say, a place of a skull, they
gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he
had tasted thereof, he would not
drink.
16 And
they crucified
him, and parted his garments,

More amused than offended at his up reluctantly, no doubt, but like

pretensions to be a king, they began us when we have borne it faiththeir mocking in a spirit of levity. fully, he was brought to Calvary
30. spit upon him.-The
scene and to the blood of atonement.
which commenced in sportive mock- There were many Cyrenians afterery terminated
in more serious ward engaged in spreading the ~08feeling and more contemptuous con- pel (ActM ii. 10; xi. 20; xiii. I),
duct.
Exasperated,
perhaps, by and we may indulee the thou"ht
the meek demeanor of .Iesus, the that in all probauility Simon ~RI
soldiers turned their mockery into one or them.
indecency
and violence. N ext to
the crneifixion itself, here was the
The Orucifiriou, 3~-38. (~Iark xv.
greatest extreme of the world's cru22-28; Luke xxiii. 33, 34 j John
elty to its Maker and its Benefacxix. lfi-24.)
tor. This was a strange sight to
the angels. It can not be contem33. Golgotha.-A
Syro-Chaldaio
plated by men without a shudder. word, meaning, as translated in the
text, "a place of a skull." The spot
31. took the robe oif.-Before
leading him away to the erucifixion was so called, no doubt, from some
they restored to him his own rai- circumstance of which we know
ment, but not bill Pilate had led nothing, und in reference to which
him forth to the people wearing conjectures are in vain. All that
the crown of thorns and the purple we certainly know of the loco.lity is
robe, and said, Behold the man." that it wus outeide of the city
f.John xix. 5.)
(Heb, xiii. 12), and yet" nigh to the
city" (John xis. 20).
32. a. ma.n of C;vrene.-Cyrene
was a flourishin~ City in the north
34. he would not drink.-The
of Africa, but Simon, as his name mixture of vinegar (sour wine) and
indicates, was a Jew. They com- gall was intended to render him
pelled him to carry the cr08S mere- less susceptible to pain; but Josue,
ly because he was a stranger, and having resolved to suffer, declined
they met him at the moment that any such relief.
a man was needed for the purpose,
35. casting lots.-IIere
again
Jesus himself having borne it thus Matthew states a fact ueeding exCar (John xix. 17), and being in planation, and John incidentally
all probability exhausted by the eC- furnishes the explanation needed.
Cort. Simon, like all of U8 when There appears from Matthew'. aocalled on to bear the erose, took it count no reason why they .hould

xxvil. 36-43. J

MA'ITHEW.

246

and saying, Thou that destro;y.

est the temple, and buildest it In
three days, save thyself. If thou
be the Son of God, come down
from the cross. 'I Likewise also
the chief priests mocking him,
with the scribes and elders,
said, "He saved others; himself he can not save. 1 If he be:
He 1.81 the King of Israel, let
him now come down from the
cross, and we will believe [on]
him. "He trusted in God; let
him deliver him now, if he will

casting lots: [that it might be

fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophet, They parted my
garments among them, and upon
my vesture did they cast lots].
II And sitting down they watched
him there; 1'1 and set up over
his head his accusation written,
THIS IS JESUS THE KING
OF THE JEWS.
I8Then were
t here two thieves crucified with
him, one on the right hand, and
another on the left.
,. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

60

42 ., Rec. Omitted by Lach., Tisch., T.

S. Green, Alford, Tregelles, N, B, D, L, 38,
102, Sahidic.
42 ." Adderl byLach.,T1sch., T. 8. Green,
Alford, Tregelles,

3ii LV<1"A~p",9ii
,~~pov Ree. Omitted
by Laeh., Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregellcs, K, . , B, D, E, F. G, H, K. L. M, 8, U, V,
P. Syriac, Coptic, Sahidic, .lEthiopic, etc.

have cast lots in order to divide the temple.e-Ie is strange how tensgarments; but we learn from .Iohn ciously the minds of the people
that the coat, which was the priu- clung to the old slander that Jesus
cipal garment, was seamless, so that threatened to destroy the temple
the guods in it could nut be divided, and build it again in three days.
and that it was on this the lots were The remark from which it sprang
cast. (John xix. 23,24.)
The ref- was made during his first visit to
erence to the prophet in this verse Jerusalem after his baptism (John
is interpolated from John xis. 24. ii. 13-22), and yet it is now thrown
36. they watchedhim.-That
is, in his teeth while he hangs on the
they kept guard over him to prevent crOSR,as though it were the most
his being rr-ruoved from the cross. boastful speech that he had ever
37. his accusation.-That
is, made.
the ground or caUROof his nccusa41, 42. He saved others.-The
tion, which was the title that he chief priests, with the scribes and
claimed as King of the Jews.
elders, mock him with reference not
38. two thieves.-Not(x~,l't"o.,)
to his boast of power, but to his exthieve."
hut
(~'1~.o.,)
robbers. ercise of it. They had doubtless
Th.,v had been condemned to death feared that he would save himself,
for robbery, and were executed at and they were now exultin~ in the
this time probably to save the though t that he could not do 80.
trouble of a separate execution; but
43. He trusted in God.-As he
the circumstance, whether so in-! seemed unable to save himself, they
tended or not, added materially to now taunt him with his profession
the indignity heaped upon .Iosus. I of trust in God, and assume that he
can not be the Son of God, or the
R el)tiutngs 0,1.1" th e p"cop,le 39-44

. F' h
hi
If
ld d I'
hi
(Mark xv. 29-32' Luke xxiii, 35at er nuse :,,:ou
e .Ive; I.m.
43 )
,
All of these revilinga are indicative
.
of guilty fear mingled with cruel
39, 40. that
destroyest
the: exultation.
I

246

MATTHEW.

[xxvii. 44-49.

have him: for he said, I am the

Son of God. The thieves also,
which were crucified with him,
cast the same in his teeth.
406 Now from
the sixth hour
there W!18 darkness over all the
land unto the ninth hour. 4d And
about the ninth hour Je'sus
cried with a loud voice, saying,
E'li, E'li, lama sabachtha'ni?

that is to say, My God, my God,

why hast thou forsaken me?
'T Some of them that stood there,
when they heard that, said, This
man calleth for Eli'as, &I And
straightway one of them ran,
and took a sponge, and filled it
with vinegar, and put it on a
reed, and gave him to drink.
48 The rest said, Let
be, let U8

44. The thieves

also.-They
felt exasperated, perhaps, because
his execution hastened their own.
'We learn from Luke, however, that
one of them repented (Luke xxiii. 3fi43), and rebuked his companion for
reviling Jesus. Matthew, therefore,
either uses the plural indefinitely
here, as he docs in xxvi. 8, 9, or
he states what both the robbers did
at the beginning, and omits the subsequent repentance of one of them

has long trusted in God and delighted in his favor could suddenly
realize that God had forsaken him,
he would enter, at least partly, into
the Savior'e feeling. But the peculinr relation which Jesus sustained
to the Father rendered this feeling
more intense than human hearts
can experience, and at the same
time it renders most mysterious to
UR the forsaking itself.
It is enough
to know that in it la:r the chief
bitterness of the Savior s death.
47. calleth
for Elias.-I
am
constrained to think, notwithstanding various opinions of commentators to the contrary (see Lange and
Alford), that the persons who made
this remark misunderstood Jesus,
and took the word Eli for Elias.
The mistake arose, not from ignorance of the language, but from the
indistinct articulation of Jesus. He
had now been on the cross about
six hours, and the feverish thirst
produced by his intense suffering
and some loss of blood, to~ether
with the great strain on the muscles
of his chest, which resulted from
hanging on his outstretched hands,
must have rendered articulation
difficult and indistinct.
48. gave him to drink.-The
drink of vinegar was to remove the
painful dryness of the throat which
his articulation betrayed, We learn
from John also that he said, "I
thirst."
(John xix. 28. 2\).)
49. The rest said.-The
reBt
of those who thought that he oalled

The Darkness and the End, 45-56.

(Mark xv. 33-41; Luke xxiii, 444\1; John xix, 28-30.)
45. there was darkness.-This
darkness, as Alford well remarks,
can not have been caused by an
eclipse of the sun, because the moon
was full at the time, as it always
was on the first day of the Passover.
Whether the darkness was over" all
the earth," in our sense (If the
terms, or only over the small portion of it to which the Jews often
applied these words, is uncertain.
It came suddenly at noon, and
passed away at three o'clock; consequently it prevailed during the
three hours in which the sun hns
usuallj' its greatest heat and brilliancy.
46. why hast thou forsaken
me 1-The depth of meaning conmined in this bitter outcry can
never, we suppose, be fathomed hy
human thought, yet the word" forsaken" directs our thought in the
right channel.
If a good man who

xx vii. 50-54.

MA'ITHEW.

247

see whether Eli'as will come to Isaints which slept arose, II and
save him. 60 .Ie'sus, when he: came out of the graves after his
had cried again with a loud, resurrection, and went into the
voice, yielded up the ghost. I holy city, and appeared unto
"And, behold, the veil of the many. W Now when the centutemple was rent in twain from rion, and they that were with
the top to the bottom; and the him, watching Je'sus, saw the
earth did quake, and the rocks earthquake, and those things
rent; 6' and the graves were that were done, they feared
opened j and many bodies of the greatly, saying, Truly this was
for Elias. On the import of their of the saints occurred "aft(lr his
remark, see the note, Mark xv. 36. resurrection."
Matthew chooses to
50. yielded up the ghost.-An
I mention
the last event here because
obsolete expressIOn for "gave up of its association with the rending
the spirit"
It contemplutes the of the rocks, which opened the
body as the man, and the spirit as rock-hewn sepulchers in which the
being released that it may depart. saints had slept. There has been
The thought is utterly inconsistent much sFecubtion as to what bewith Materialism.
Luke reports came 0 these resurrected saints.
that .Iesus said, "Father, into thy V{e have no positive information,
hands I commend my spirit," and hut the natural presumption is that
that " having said thus, he gave up , they ascended to heaven. The fuct
the spirit."
(Luke xxiii. 46.)
\ that this very singular incident is
51. the veil of the temple.mentioned by Matthew alone, does
This is the heavy curtain which not detract from its credibilitl'
hung between the holy and most
54. this was the Son 0 God.
holy places within the temple.
By -Froll\ the filet that the centurion
abutting out from the moat ho] v was of heathen education, and that
place all persons except the hi~h the words SOl! and Gud are without
priest, who alone was permitted to I the article ill Greek, some havs
pass through it, und this only once understood him us meaning, "This
III the year,
it signified that the was a son of a god." (See George
way into the holiest--that
is, into Campbell's notes on Matthew.) But
heaven-was
not yet made manifest the expression Son of God, with
while the first tabernacle was stand- both words anarthrous, occurs freing. (Heb. ix. 7, 8.) But the mo- quently in connections which show
ment that .Je8u~ died, thus making that it means the same as when
the way manifest, the veil was up- i the article is used. (Verse 43; Luke
P;"l';'iately rent in twain from top i. 35; John xix. 7.) It must be re
to bottom, disclosing the most holy membered also that these Roman
place to the priests who were at officers, while resident in Judea,
that time olf,ring the evening in- made it a part of their business to
cense in the holy place.
study the peculiarities of the peo52, 53. arose, and came out.pie with whom they had to deal,
The earthquake, the rending of the and that sometimes, as in the case
rocks (verse 51), and the conse- of Cornelius and the centurion of
quent opening of graves, occurred Capernaum (viii, 8-10), they beat the moment that Jesus died; came converts to the Jewish roligwhile the resurrection and visible ion. This man lived in Jerusalem
appearance in the city of the bodies in the midst of the eJ:citement

248

~IATTHEW.

the Son of God. 16 And many

women were there beholding
afar off, which followed Je'blli!
from Gal'ilee, ministering un to
him: b6amung which WWl Ma'ry
~1agdale'ne, and
1\111.'
ry the
mother of James and Jo'ses, and
the mother of Zeb'edee's children.
61 When
the even was come,
there came a rich mall of Arimathse'a, named Jo';,eph, who
also himself was .Ie'sus' discipIe: M he weut to Pi'late, and

[xxvii. 56-61.

begged the body of Je'sus.

Then Pi'late commanded the
body to be delivered.
U And
when J 0'seph had taken the
body, he wrapped it in a clean
linen cloth, 80 and laid it in his
own new tomb, which he had
hewn out in the rock: and he
rolled a great stone to the door
of the sepulcher, and departed.
&1 And
there was 1\1a'ry Magdale'ne, and the other Ma'ry,
sittillgover against the sepulcher.

about .Iesus j he h.id this very d,LY here mentioned

as her son is
heard him ch.irged with ulusphemy "James the son of Alpheus" (x.
for claiminz to be the Son of God, 3), who was one of the aposand he hud heard the same idea ex- tles. "The mother of Zebedee's
pvessed concerning
him since he childreu"
was so C1LUedbecause
IV.IS su-peuded
on the cr088 (verse of the celebrity of her two sons,
4., uud therefore he must have James and John, and probably
been stupid indeed if he did not also because of the death of her
kuow what was meant by the ex- husband.
(Comp. xx. 20.)
Her
pression.
it is almost certain that name was Salome.
(Murk xvi. 1.)
he knew what Jesus claimed to be,
and that when he saw the miracles The Burial, 57-61. (Mark xv. 4247 j Luke xxiii, 50-56 j J oh n
accompall) ing his death, he was
convinced that the claim was just.
xix, 31-42.)
55,56. many women.-These
57,58. and begged the body.
women, . who had followed Jesus -It was seldom that persons who
from Galilee, ministering to him," were crucified had friends to care
are re~re~ented as " beholding afar for their remains j but Pilate knew
off" I'his accounts for the fact that too well the popularity of Jesus to
the mother of Jesus, though present, be surprised that even a man in
is not mentioned among them j for Joseph s position should propose to
she, with the apostle John, was stand- give him a decent burial, and havin;;; nearer, near enough for Jesus to mg no malice to gratify, he readily
point her out by a look (hiR only way I granted the request,
of doing so) as the one whom John
59, 60. in his own new tomb.
was henceforth to regard as his own - The circumstance
that Joseph
mother.
(.John xix, 25-27.)
had a new tomb near the spot, in
56. among which. - Matthew nil probability suggested to him the
names only three of the "many I' thought of burying the body. That
women" (verse 55) who were" be- he rolled a stuue to the door of it,
holding afar off." (For u brief uc- indicates that it was a vault hewn
count of Maty Ma~dalene, see note horizontally into the rock. He unon Mark xvi 9.) ".,fary the mother dertook the task alone, aided of
of James and Joses " is called by course by servants, but Nicodemus
John the wife of Cleophas (John joined him ere he had completed
xix. 25), another form of the name his task
(John xix. 38-41.)
Alpheus j consequently the James
61. sitting over against.-The

xxviI.

62-xxviii

1.]

MATTHEW.

249

Now the next day, that away, and say unto the people,
followed the day of the prepa- He is risen from the dead:
so
ration,
the chief priests and the last error shall be worse
Pharisees
came together
unto than the first.
16 Pi'late
said
Pi'late," saying, Sir, we remem- unto them, Ye have a watch:
ber that that
deceiver
said, go your way, make it as sure as
while he was yet alive, After ye can.
Ie So they went, and
three days I will rise again. made the sepulcher
sure, seal"Command
therefore that the ing the stone, and setting a
sepulcher be made sure until watch.
the third day, lest his disciples
XXVIII.
lin the end of the
come [by night], and steal him I sabbath,
as it began to dawn
64 """,0, &C.

Omitted by Lsch.,

T. S. Green,Alford,Trcgelles.

Tisch., towardMt~e firMstddaYl~f the wdeehk,

came
a ry
ag a e ne an t e

two Marys had remained near the

crOS8till the body wus taken down,
and had followed the men, who
were probably etrangers to them, IU!
they bore the hody to the tomb.
No doubt it had been their own
purpose to have it cared for as best
they could, and now that they see
all needful attention ~iven to it by
others, they quietly Sit down opposite the sepulcher and watch the
proceedings.

Jesus, and the fact that when

the resurrection took place, they
knew not till fifty days had passed
what use to make of the fact, is
sufficient proof that they could not
have planned a pretended resurrection.
The singular fact that the
enemies of Jesus were more apprehensive of his resurrection than
his friends, is accounted for by the
consideration that the latter, with
their present conceptions, had Iittle
to hope for in his resurrection,
while the former had much to dread
from either the fact itself or a belief of it among the people. A
guilty fear makes men more watchful than a languid hope.
65. Ye have a watch.-Not
that they had a watch already, for in
that case they would not have applied
to him for one, but Pilate used this
formula to place one at their disposal.
66. sealing the stone.-This
was to prevent anyone from removing the stone, taking away the
body, then replacing the stone and
pretending that Jesus had arisen.
The stone could not be removed
without breaking the seal, and the
seal at once wou1d tell the story.

Precaution (If the Pharisee",62-66.

62, the next day.-How
early
the next day i8 not <tated. but as
the purpoRe was to prevent the disciples from stoa lirur the body away
(6-!), tho earlier the hetter.
The
next dav commen ..ed at sunset, and
the probability is that the ~utlrd was
statiuned at the tomb before dark.
63, 64. After three days.-Tt
should be observed that although
tho Pharisees quote Jesus as saying
that he would rise "after three
days," they ask that the sepulcher
be ~uarded only "until tke third
day, ' showin/l:that they regarded the
time designated by "after three days"
IU! terminating"
on the third day."
(For a full discussion of this peeulThe Women at the Sepu lcher, xxviii.
iar usage, see note under xii. 40.)
1-8. (Mark xvi. 1-18; Luke xxiv.
lest his disciples. - Nothing
1-11.)
was farther from the minds of the
1. In the end of the sabbath.
disciples than the resurrection of

250

MATTHEW.

other Ma'ry to see the sepulcher.

And, behold, there was a great
eart hq uake : for the angel of
the Lord de-cended from heaven,
and came and rolled back the
stone [tram the door], and sat
2 c e-c T~< 9vp.< Rer
Omitted by Lach ,
Tisch T S. Green Alford, I regelles I( B,
D bO, 8-1, a, b, C, etc ,Vulgate
.tEthlOPlC,

et:).

[xxviii.

2-6.

upon it. His countenance

was
like lightning,
and his raiment
white as snow: and for fear of
him the keepers did shake, and
became as dead men.
6 And the
angel answered and said unto
the "omen, Fear not ye: for I
know that ye seek .Ie'sus, which
was crucified.
8 He is not here:

- The English version is here self- \ door of the sepulcher, with raiment
contradictory
for If the event men- white as snow and a countenance
tioned occurred" III the end of the !rle.Hnm!! hke lightning,
with reSabbath " it could not have occurred aistless hand he rolled hack the
"as It began to dawn toward the gre.lt stone, at whose fall the ground
first day of the week." The word trembled With an earthquake, then
rendered ' III the end' (0-\-'), usu- he calmly took a seat on the stone
ally means late, and is uuetrmes and turned his gleammg face upon
tr inslated " III the ev enin.z
(Mark the soldiers, as If to say, See what I
XI 19, XIII 35)
But It is sume-I have dunel No wonder that "the
times used With the gemtlve in the keepers did shake and become as
sense of after (see Hohlllson's N dead men '
T Lexrcon ) and such must be Its
5, the angel answered,-We
mpalllng here 'after the Sabbath, learn from Mark and Luke that the
as It !wc:.tn to d iwn " etc
angel first spoke to the women after
and the other Mary.-The
one they went into the sepulcher (Mark
mentioned above, XXVII 61
The XVI 5 6, Luke XXIV 2-5), consetwo Marys, hav Ing remained at the quently we are to understand that
sepulcher on the evening of the after the flight of the guards and
burial until Joseph and Nicodemus Just before the arrival of the
departed now return, a~ Matthew women, the angel left his seat on
expre8Ae~ It, .to Ace the -epulcher " the stone and went inside the sepulTheir more especial 0 bJect was to cher All that occurred prevIOus to
complete the emb.ilrmng of the the arrival of the women was
body (Mark xvi I), hut as Matthew learned from the report of the
had said nothing of their prevIous guards, who at first gave a true and
preparation of apices he chooses full account of what they had witnow to speak in vague terms of nesaed
(Verse II )
\heIr object In commg
6. Come, see the plaee,-Not
2 a great
earthquake.
- It the sepulcher, but the particular
was probably great In mtensity, but spot Within It where the body was
not In extent
It was produced by laid
They had already entered
the power of the angel who de- the sepulcher and seen that the body
scended and rolled back the stone, was gone
(Luke XXIV3,4)
The
as aPl!rarR from the use of for angel had now become Visible, and
(yo.p) In the next clause
invites them to exam ine the spot
3, 4. for fear of him.-lloth
the marked as we learn from John
appear,mee and the action of this (xx 7) by the napkin, w hich had
angel were majestic in the extreme been about his head, lying In one
He came down from heaven like a place, and the linen clothes in anstream of light, he atood a.t the other The prrsence of these grave-

xxviii. 7-11.]

MATTHEW.

251

for he is risen, IU!he said. Come, 1 And flU! they went to tell his
see the place where I the Lord: disciples, behold, Je'sus met
hel lay. T And go quickly, and them, saying, All hail. And
tell his disciples that he is risen they came and held him by the
from the dead; and behold, he feet, and worshiped him. lOThen
goeth before you into Gal'ilee; said J e'sus unto them, Be not
there shall ye see him: 10, I have afraid: go tell my brethren that
told you. 8 And they departed they go into Gal'ilee, and there
quickly from the sepulcher with shall they see me.
fear and great joy; and did run
11 Now when they were going,
I) Wi J5e-fTrOpn/Oll'TO 4'n'dY)'ElA.a.4 TOlf ~a.81fTCliC
to bring his disciples word.
aVTOV Rea. Omitted by Lach .. Ttsch., T. 8.
Green, Alford, Tregelles, 1(. a, n, 3.1, 69.
435, etc., a, h, c, etc., Vulgate, 1'. Syrlac.
Coptic. Armenian, etc.

6 0 KUpt.< Rec. Omitted by Lach., Ttsch.,

T. S. Green, Alford, Trcgellcs, ~, B, 33,
102, ete., Coptic, A!:thlopic, A rmenian, etc.

out of the sepulcher, not even the

soldiers
Whether he was invisiLie at the moment, or wns not seen
because the soldiers were overwhelmed hy the appearance of the
angel, we can not tell.
held him by the feet.-The
women, nccordirnr to the custom of the
Jews when grratlv overpowered with
religious emotion, prostrated themselves before him, and in this
posture took hold of his feet as he
stood on the I!round.
10. Then said Jesus.--1'hp interview was hut momentary
The
women identify him, he repents the
message already given hy the angel
about the meeting in Galilee, he
instantly d isappenrs, and then the
women hasten on their errand more
excited than before.

clothes confirmed the statement that

he had risen, for had he been carried away they would scarcely have
been left behind. The sepulcher,
it must be obser-ved, was not a narrow grave, but a chamber of consideruhle size, in which at this moment
not less than four women and two
visible angels were movinjr about,
7. tell his disciples.-The
word
disciples, in Greek, is in the masculine gender, and distinguishee the
male from the female disciples. The
women are c!mrl!cd'with the double
announcement that .Ir-sus had arisen,
and that he WOIl Id go hefore the
disciples into Galilee. They would
naturally return to Galilee after the
Pnssover week expired, because
there were their homes.
8. and did run.-The
" fear and
great joy" with which they were
excited gave sw iftness to the feet of
the women as they ran to tell the
news to the mule disciples, and
never before had such a message
burned within the heart of man or
woman.

Report of the Walch, 11-15.

11. when

they were going.HHe Matthew informs us of the

exact relative time at which" some
of the watch" ar+ivod ill the city
nnd reported to the chief pr iests
what thev had seen : it wus " when
Jesus Appears to the JVomen, 9, 10. the women were /!oing" til deliver
their IlH'~.al!p,and it was after their
9. Jesus met them.-lIe
had I meeting with Jesus. Notice that,
the instant hdol'P parted from Mnrv I not all, hilt sume of the watch went
\fa/(dalene, to whom he appeared to the chief priests, the remainder
Irst. (See note on ~Iark xvi 9.), going doubtless to their own quarI, seems that no one saw him come, ters. Some went to the chief priest.t

262

MATIHEW.

[xzviii, 12-15.

behold, some of the watch came

into the city, and shewed unto
the chief priests all the things
that were done. 12 And when
they were assembled with the
elders, and had taken counsel,
they gave large money unto the

soldiers, I.saying, Say ye, His

disciples came by night, and
stole him away while we slept.
1& And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him,
and secure YOy. 14 So they took
the money, and did as they were

because they knew that it was at

their instance that the sepulcher
had been guarded.
12. and had taken counsel.This was doubtless a hurried gatheri n~ of such chief priests and
elder, as were near by, not including such men as Joseph and Nicodemu- who would be unfavorable to
the villainy in contemplation.
13. Say ye.-The
object of the
chief priests, us is common with
men who persist in crime, was to
keep hid from the eyes of men the
proof that they had put to death an
innocent person. They were oblivious of the power and wrath of God,
and they proceeded to still further
inflame the divine wrath by putting a
lie into the lips of the soldiers and
hiring them to tell it.
while we slept.-The
new story
bore its falsity on its face. It was
an affirmation as to what was done,
and by whom it was done, while the
affirmants were asleep. Moreover,
it was the affirmation of an im possibility; for it is impossible, even had
they been asleep, that a company of
men sufficiently numerous to perform the task, could have wnlked
up to the sepulcher, rolled away the
gt'flat stone, and borne the body
away, without awaking some of the
I!:uards, who were stationed about
the door of the sepul cher for the
very purpose of preventing such a
removal of the body. Matthew's
account of the origin of this story
is confirmed by the character of the
story: it is utterly incredible that
such a story could be told by honest
men for an honorable purpose.

14. we will persuade him.-It

would have been hazardous for the
soldiers to tell the new story without some guarantee of protection, for
it contained an admission that they
had fallen asleep while on guard, and
this, in the Roman army, was punishable with death. This fact, be
it noticed, adds to the improbability
that the story itself is true. The
chief priests prom ised to persuade
Pilate and protect the soldiers, in
case of their arraignment, and this
they could safely promise, both because Pilate was interested like
themselves in concealing the fact
of the resurrection, and because, if
it caine to the worst, they would not
be afraid to confess to him the lit'
which they had put into the lips of
the soldiers.
15. is commonly reported.-U
p
to the day that Matthew wrote his
narrative, this false report was current among the unbelieving .Iews.
If the truth of a historical proposition can be established by the
absurdity of its contradictory, the
resurrection of Jesus is estnhlished
by the absurdity of all Cffillt~to account ill another way for the disappearance of his dead body. Ills
enemies of that genera.tion. ilion of
learning and of ingenuity whose
honor was involved in the issue,
were able to invent no better 8.')count of said disappearance than
this absurd story put into the mouths
of the soldiers; and men of subsequent ages have made no improvement on this original falsehood.
One of the latest efforts of the kind,
that of Monsieur Henan, though

xxviii. 16-19.J

MATTHEW.

253

saw him, they worshipedJhimJ:

but some doubted. II An Je'sU8
came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me
in heaven and in earth. l' Go

taught: and this 8l1ying is commonly reported among the Jews

until this day.
II Then
the eleven disciples
went away into GILl'ilee. into a
mountain where Je'sus had appointeu them. It.And when they

17 airr'; Ru. OmItted br Lach.. T

Green, Alford, 'I'regellea.

a proper prelude to the command

which follows, for the possession of
such authority WI\.8requisite to the
effective issuing of such a command.
19. teach all nations.-The
term rendered teach (}'Gllcu''''w)
means to make disciples.
The
clause should be rendered, Go,
The Meeting in G{Llilee, 16-20.
disciple all nations."
A disciple is
16. where Jesus
had
ap- one who accepts the teaching of
pointed.-llere
we leurn that tile Jesus; and men are made such by
mountain on which the oft prom- prcachin/l the gospel to them.
ised meeting in Galilee was to take
baptizing them.-Kot
baptisplace (xxvi. 32; xxviii. 7, 10), had ing tlie nations, but baptizing those
already bcen dC8ign~ted by .Jesus; I ~iscipled.
Th.em, in the Greek, is
and we lIlay safely infer that the
the masculine gender (aN1'oi>,),
time had also been named, for other- and can not refer for its antecedent
wise the disciples would not have I to nations (111.'1), because the latter
known when to ussemble at the ap- term is in the neuter gender. Its
pointed place..
antecedent is the masculine noun
17. but some doubted.-The
disciples (~a.I1~1'a.s), implied in the
doubt is accounted for in part by verb (~a.I1a.1'n'w), make disciples.
the fact that he first appeared at a i (For another example of this CODdistance, as appears from the words, struction, see note on xxv. 32.)
he came and spoke to them" (18),
in the name.-As
is well reand in part by the fllct that others marked. by A.lford., "It is unfortuwere there besides tho eleven. This nate again here that our English
is undoubtedly the time at which Bibles do not give us the force of
he was seen by " above five hundred i this "s. It should have been into
brethren at once" (1 Cor. xv. 6); (1\.8in Gal. iii. 27, al.), both here and
for it WI\.8the only appoillted meet- I in 1 Cor. x. 2, and wherever the
ing, and the appointment /Zave op- expression is used."
80 depose
portunity for all who would to be Lange, Olshausen, and the best
present.
In so large a crowd it is critics generally.
It h8.8 been obnot surprisin~ that some even of Jected, especially by Dr. Conant
the eleven did not reco~nize him (Notes on Bible Union Version), that
at the first moment of his appear- into the name is not good English.
ing.
. The objection may 1\.8well have
18. All power.-More
correctly been urged against such expreerendered
authoritll'
The 1\.88er- sions 8.8" into M08es," intoChriet,"
&ion that all authority in heaven "into his death."
There is no fault
and on earth WILlI given to him wu to be found with any of then e;K-

more imaginary, is not less absurd.

This philosopher (?) says:
"The
strong imagination of Marl Magdalene here enacted a principal part.
Divine power of luve I sacred moments in which the passion of a
hallucinated woman ~ives to the
world a resurrected God I

110

an

254

MATTHEW.

[xxviii. 20.

Ie [therefore], and teach all nanons, baptizing them in the

name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
10 teaching them
to observe all

things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, 10, I am with

you alway, even unto the end of
the world. [Amen.]

19 0.> Roc. Omitted by Lacb., Tiscb.,

T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

20 'AIo'~>Ru. Omitted I>y Lach., 'l'IICh..

T. B. Green, Alford, Tregellea.

pressione, unless it be their obscurity, and this can not he avoided

except by a circumlocution.
The
name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit means the
combined authority of all the manifestations of God. To be baptized
into this, is to be brought by baptisrn into actual subjection to It.
He that is baptized is brought into
subjection by that act to the Father,
to the Son, and to the Holy Spir it j
and in consequence of this suhjection he receives the remission of
his sins and the ~ift of the Holy
Spirit.
(Acts ii. 38.)
20. teaching
them.-Here
the
word teachinq is a proper rendering, and it indicates the third step
to be taken with those to whom the
apostles would preach.
Having
made disciples by persuading men to
accept the teaching of.I esus, and having baptized such into the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, they were next to teach
them all that Jesus had commanded
-all
the duties of the Christian
life.
I am with you alway.-This
promise includes more than his mere
presence.
When we urge men to a
dangerous and difficult undertaking,
a.nd sa.y, We will be with you j we
promise them our co-operation and
support.
Such is the msaninz of
Jesus: he is with his people to help
them and to protect them. The
promise is limited only by "the end
of the world." The term rendered
world (<1.':',,) frequently means age:
but whether we render it world or
'J{le in this place the meaning is

the same, for the age referred to

must be the Christian a$e, and this
will end with the world Itself. The
promise was made primarily to the
eleven, but inasmuch as they were
not to live till the end of the world,
it properly extends to the entire
Church of which they were the
recognized representatives.
While
the world stands, therefore, Christ,
possessed of all authority in heaven
and in earth, is pledged to be with
his Church.
This is a most appropriate conclusion for a. narrative
whose object it WI\S to record some
of the labors, sufferings, and triumphs by which Jesus laid the
foundation of his Church, and from
which the promise of his presence
derives all of its heavenly consolation.
ARGUMENT OF SECTION 9.
This section contains at least two
historical proofs of the divinity of
Jesus. The first is found in the
demonstrations
of divine power
which accompanied his death. The
miraculous darkness which covered
the land fur three hours previous
to his Iaat breath. was an unmistakable si~n from heaven, The
invisible hnnd which at the moment
of his last cry rent in twain the veil
of the temple, could have been no
other than the hand of God or that
of an angel sent from heaven.
The
earthquake. bursting solid rocks
and opening the chambers of the
I dead, was a divine response from the
earth to the divine token of wra.th
which hung Mer the face of the
sky. All these a.re unmistakable

.MATTHEW.
manifestations of God's displeasure,
and none of them could have accompanied the death of Jesus had
he been an impostor. The conclusion forced upou the mind of the
centurion, and extorting from him
the exclamation, "Truly this was
the Son of Uod," is the conclusion
which must be echoed Lack from
the soul of every honest man who
reads the story.
The second proof in the section,
and the grand final demonstration,
is found in the resurrection
of
Jesus from the dead. That he did
arise is attested by conclusive evidence. The women can not have
been mistaken as to the statement
of the angel at the sepulcher, nor
as to the appearance (If Jesus to
them on the way. Their testimony
on these two points is true unless
they lied, and they had no motive
prom pting them to lie.
Their
statement, too, is such, in its details,
as they could not have invented:
to suppose that they invented it is
a far more violent supposition than
to suppose it is true. Again, the
sloven can not have been mistaken
in R8IIerting that Jesus appeared to

266

them on the mountain in Galilee

and spoke to them the words of the
commission; nor can the commiesion itself have been an invention
(If men, and especially cfthese men.
Mutthew was himself one of the
eleven, and an eye-witneas to this
part of the proof. The resurrection
of Jesua being thus established as a
fact, his Mesaiuhsh ip and his 80nship are established beyond all re&sonable doubt.
CONCLUSION.

We here conclude our comments

on a narrative which, whether we
consider its merits as a mere narrative; the momentous character of
the leading proposition which it
advocates;
or the completeness
and amplitude of the historical
demonstration which it furnishes,
has no superior among the writings
of earth, and no rival except its
own three companions.
To the
God of peace, who brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
great Shepherd of the sheep, be
glory everlasting for thi. inestimable Il;ift of hid grace I

lNTRODUCTION
f 1.

THE

TO MARK.

AUTHORSHIP.

IF we were to transcribe from our Introduction to the book of Matthew,

what we have written on the subject of its authorship, almost every word
would be equally appropriate to the book of Mark. There i8 the same
uniformity in the testimony of early writers ; the same absence of doubt
among both ancient and modern echolars : the same improbability that the
authorship could have been attributed in early times to the wrong person,
and the same 01" even greater certainty, that if a fictitious authorship had
been assumed for the book by the early Christians, it would have been
attributed to some one supposed to have a higher claim to credibility and
to the reverence of the disciples. It would certainly have been attributed
to some one of the apostles. We request the reader to reexamine the first
section of our Introduction to Matthew, and to suppose all that i8 there
said of Matthew on the points JURtenumerated, to be said of" John whose
surname was Mark." He will then realize the force of the evidence that
Mark is the author of the book which bears his name.
~ 2. QUALIFICATIONS OF THE WRITER.

:\!ark was not an apostle, nor is there any evidence that he was at any
time a personal attendant of Jesus. He was not, then, an eye-wltness of
the scenes, at least of the chief part of the scenes, which he describes. In
this respect he was like Luke (Luke i, 2), but unlike Matthew and John.
This fact, connected with the circumstance that Mark is nowhere said
in express terms, to have been an inspired man, has given prominence to
the question, whether he was qualified to write an infallible account of
incidents in the life of Jesus. In order to a right judgment on this question, we should consider, first, his natural opportunities for information,
and second, the evidences of his inspiration,
1. John Mark was the son of a woman named Mary, who was a prominent disciple in the city of Jerusalem at the time of the death of J ameli
and the imprisonment of Peter, and whose dwelling in that city was a
well known place of resort for the diaciples. All of this appears from the
incident recorded in Acts xii. 12-17. The house was so well known as a
place of resort for the brethren, that when Peter was released from prison
by the angel, though it was the dead of night, he at once repaired thither
to give notice of his release, and to send word to the surviving James and
other leading brethren. Mary was also a sister to Barnabas (Col. iv. 10);
which fact would in itself render her solnewhat conspicuous; for
2:l
(257)

L.~TRODUCTION.
Barnabas became at a very early period one of the most noted men in the
Jerusalem Church. (See Acts iv. 36, 37; ix, 26, 27; xi. :.!2-24.) The land
which Barnabas had owned in the island of Cyprus, and which he sold
for the benefit of the poor, points to the probability that his Risler Mary,
besides owning a residence in Jerudalem, was possessed of other property.
The indications are that she was a widow in easy eircumstaucea, full of
hospitality, and intimately associated with the apostles and the other
leaders of the Church in Jerusalem.
Thus it appears that from the very
beginning of the Church, if not during the life of Jesud, John Mark
enjoyed the company of the apostles in bis owu home, where their conversations with one another and with inquiring friends, must have perfected that knowledge of Jesus which, in common with the masses of the
people, he acquired by listening to their daily discourses in the temple
court. Had he been, then, hut an ordinary youth, with a disposition to
remember facts and to record them, he might have written from what he
heard the inspired witnesses relate, an account which would have been
fallible only in so far as he used hie own words instead of theirs.
But besides these opportunities, Mark spent some years in most intimate
association with Paul and Barnabas, laboring as their "minister," or
a-sistant (Act xii. 25, xiii, 5; xv, 37-39); at a later period he was associated in a similar way with Peter (1 Peter v. 13); and then again with
Paul (Col. iv. 10; 2 Tim. iv. 11).
During these associations, Mark must have heard the inspired preachers,
in preaching to different communities and different individuals, rehearse
many hundreds of times the leading events in the life of Jesue ; and he
must have been an exceedingly inattentive listener, if these events, in the
Tery language of the apostles, were not indelibly imprinted on hi8 memory.
It is impossible, then, for Mark to have enjoyed better natural opportunities than he did, except by having, in addition to these, the opportunity
of witnessing for himself the events of which he writes. He could truly
have said with Luke: "Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to let
forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed
among 118, even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were
eye-witnesses and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having
~btained perfect understanding of all from the beginning, to write."
(Luke i. 1-4.) Thoee, then, who are dieposed to regard the gospel narratives as nothing more than uninspired records, should abate notning from
the credibility of Mark's narrative on the ground of his want of Inrorma-.
sion ; for surely no uninspired writer ever had better facilities for informing himself with entire accuracy concerning events of which he had not
been an eye-witness.
2. As we hsve intimated before, there is no express statement in the
Scriptures of the fact that Mark WIUI an inspired man; yet there are
..nOD. (acta which force U \0 Ul, eonelueion that he was. In the first

INTRODUCTION.

2l'i9

place, It wal a custom of the apoatles to impart spiritual

giftft to promlnent men in the churches, and especially
to their traveling
companion.
and fellow-laborers.
Thus Philip,
Barnabas,
Simeon,
Lucius, Manaen,
Silas, J udas, and Timothy, enjoyed miraculous
gifts (Acts viii. 6; xi ii. 1 ;
xv, 32; 2 Tim. i. 6); and individuals
in the churches
in Samaria,
Ephesus,
Corinth, Rome, Galatia, etc., enjoyed simi lar gifts.
(Acts viii.
14-17 ; xix. 6; 1 Cor. i. 4-7; Rom. xv, 14; Gal. iii. 5.) Now to 8SSU me thd
Mark, who was, at different times, and for many years, a companion
and
fellow-laborer
of two apostles, was overlooked
in the distribution
of these
gifts, would be unwarrantable
and even absurd.
In the second place, there
are evidences that Mark was regarded as especially fitted for labors which
were usually performed
by men posaeased of miraculous
gifts.
lIe was
chosen by Paul and Barnabas as their assistant on their first tour among
the Gentiles (Acts xii. 25; xiii. 5); and although,
on their second tour,
Paul declined his company,
Barnabas
still preferred
him and separated
from Paul rather
than separate
from Mark.
(xv. 36-39.) At a later
period he was sent by Paul on important
misaions among the churches
(Col. iv. 10); and he was sent for by Paul during the last impr isonruent
of the latter, because he was profitable to him for the ministry.
(2 Tim.
iv. 11.) Finally, if a tradition
preserved by Papias, who wrote in the tir,t
half of the second century, has any foundation
in fact, the apostle Peter
had some connection
with the labors of Mark in preparing
his gospel, and
it is highly improhable
that he would have allowed him to undertake
such
a work without imparting
to him the Holy Spirit if he were 1I0t already
endowed with the requisite gifts.From these considerations
we think there can be no reasonable
doubt,
that in addition to Mark's free and long continued
aCCeB" to original and
infallible
sources of information,
he enjoyed such direct aid from the
Holy Spirit as must have guarded him absolutely
against errors of every
kind in the composition
of hi. narrative.

~ 3.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NARRATIVE.

Mark's narrative
is dlstinguished
from Matthew's,
which it resembles
more than it does either Luke's or John's, by several striking
peculiaritillA, of which we mention the following:
1. While Matthew b"g1Os with the genealogy of .1('"118, intended to show
that he was a. 80n of Abra.ham through
David, and follows this with a

The words of Papl as IL' quoted by EusebluA. are these : . Th is al"" the elder [John]
Mid: Mark. being the Interpreter of Peter, wrote dowu exa.ctly whatever thlnga he
remembered. but yet not In the order In which Christ either spoke or did them; for he
was neither a hearer nor a follower of the Lord's, but was afterward. IL< I [Papl as ] said,
follower 01 Peter." See Smith's Dictionary, Art. Mark: and on the value "I thls and
.omo similar tradit\on"lltat.etn# _ Alford'. Introduction to Mark. Section II.

260

INTRODUCTION.

brief account of his childhood, Mark, omitting all tbe ground covered b)
the first two chapters of Matthew, announces J esus at once aA the Christ,
the Son of God (i. 1), hurriedly touches the ministry of John and the
temptation of Jesus, and enters on his main theme with the commence.
ment of the ministry in Galilee. He also omits other passages of the hi .
tory which Matthew treats at considerable length, such as the sermon on
the Mount, the denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees found in the 23d
chapter of Matthew, and the prophetic discourse found in the 25th chapter.
2. In his treatment of the material which is common to himself and
Matthew, he is, on the whole, more brief, but at times is much more
elaborate; and his arrangement of the matter is often widely different.
For an illuarration of the difference in arrangement, we refer the reader
to the note headed" Difference from Matthew," at the end of chapter first.
His more elaborate treatment of some passages results from hia peculiar
treatment of the argument from miracles. While Matthew mentions a
larger number, Mark selects those which are the more striking, and
describes them with greater minuteness. See the Argument at the end of
Section v , Part 1.
3. Throughout the portions in which the matter of the two narratives
is the same, there is constantly occurring an identity of thought accompanied by variety of expression, and especially by a more graphic style,
showing clearly that Mark is an independent writer even in those passages
which have been erroneously regarded as extracts from Matthew. Remarkable instances of this are pointed out in the notes, at 1. 16-20; II. 19-22.
4. Another peculiarity which we have frequently mentioned in the
course of the notes, is that of selecting from a group of persons acting in a
given scene, or from a group of miracles wrought on a given occasion, a
single one which is described particularly, while nothing at all is said
of the others. For references to many instances of this kind, see the
note on .xi. 2.
All of these peculiarities combine to prove what is now almost universally believed by critics, that neither is Mark's narrative an abridgment,
as some have thought, of Matthew's and Luke's; nor are theirs, as others
have thought, expansions of Mark's. Each evidently wrote without having even seen the manuscript of either of the other two.
~ 4.

ApPARENT

DISCREPANCIES.

In many passages in which Mark treats of matter common to him8elf

and the other historians there are various appearances of discrepancy.
which have been regarded by some as irreconcilable contradictions.
Each
of these which is regarded as worthy of notice at all, has been treated in
'Ie body of the notes, and we think it is there made to appear that in
none of them is there a real contradiction.
We allude to them here

INTRODUCTION.

261

beeauee of the argument which has been based on t)lem to disprove the
plenary Inspiration of the writera.
It has been argued, that if the Holy Spirit guided ~he inspired writen
not only in the thoughts which they should expres.8, but also in their
choice ()f words, there would be none of these appearajlces of discrepancy,
but the same thought would always be expressed in about the same words.
Indeed, it is argued that 011 this supposition we ought to find a uniform
Ilj'le pervading the writings of all the inspired men, 8tleing that it was not
they but the Holy Spirit who spoke and wrote. But all such reasoning I.
rallucious in two particulars: first, in assuming that the Holy Spirit either
would not or could not vary his style to suit the peculiar mental organizacion of each writer; and second, in assuming that ~here is not a style
common to all the writers of Sacred History. Both of these assumptions
are illogical, and the latter is contradicted by facts. There are characteristics of style common to all the historical writera of both the Old
Testament and the New, which distinguish them {rom all uninspired
historians, and which mark their style as that ot the 1Ioly Spirit.
W can not here elaborate this proposition, but wI! mention first, the
purely dramatic form in which they depict the charactera of men,
allowing them to act their respective parts without & word of comment,
without an expresaion by the historian, -of approbation or disapprobation,
and utterly without those attempts at analysis of character which all other
hisrorians have found indispensable.
Second, the unexampled impartiality with which they record facts, speaking with as little reserve concerning
til sins and follies of their own friends, as of the most cruel deeds of their
en"mies-as freely, for -example, of Peter's denial, as of the high-priest's
ms lice and cruelty. Third, the imperturbable calmness. the utter freedom
from passion, with which they move along the current of history, relating
with 8.8 little apparent feeling the most wonderful and exciting events as
those the most trivial. The final sufferings of Jesus, for example, a"l
described with as much calmness, as the fact of his taking 8 seat on Peter's
fishing boat to address the people. This characteristic of the inspired historlans h8.8 been noticed by every appreciative reader of the sacred volume,
"nd it fixes the primary authorship unmistakably in Hiw,
"Who sees with equal eye, aMGod of all,
A hero perish, or a sparrow fall;
Atoms or systems into ruin hurled,
And now a bubble burst, and now a world."
For other specifications of the style that is peculiar to the inspired
",riten, we refer the reader to the recent admirable volume of lectures by
Henry Rogers, on the Superhuman Origin of the Bible, and especially to
Lectures vi. and vii.
it was desirable that the Bible should touch e-(Iry cord in Ivery

A..

INTRODUCTION.

262

human soul, it was needful that the presentation

of truth should be characterized by very great diversities of style.
While preserving,
then, 'J.II il
does, those characteriatics
which mark it as divine, God has wisely chosen,
in order to secure the needed variety, that its various parts should be
written by men of great dlversiry
of mental peculiarities,
and that each
of these should leave the Impress of his own style of thought
and expression
on his composition.
As the light which "tarts from the Bun
in passing through
a cathedral
window takes on the many hues of
the stained glass, allowing each pane to impart its own particular
hue,
and spreads
them all in delightful
harmony
on the objects within,
BO the truth
that came down from heaven was allowed to pass through the
minds of many men ere it reached the written page, bearing with it the
impress of each without being changed
from truth to error.
In thi. way
alone can all of the peculiarities
of this book of books be accounted
for.

~ 5.

FOR WHAT

READERS INTENDED.

We think that there are no conclusive

evidences that Mark intended hia
narrative
for any special class of readers.
From his omission
of the
genealogy of J eSI1S, and of all references to the prophecies
fulfilled in the
eareer of JeRllR (See note on xv. 28), it is inferred that he did not, like
Matthew, write especially for Jewish readers; but the evidences commonly
relied on as proof that he wrote especially for Gentiles, are, we think, inconclusive.
True, he translates
into Greek, some Hebrew or Aramarc
terms which he employ", but Matthew does the same almost as often, and
the only apparent
reason why Mark does so more frequently
is because he
introduces
two words more which need translation
than does Matttiew.
(Comp, Mark v. 41; v. 11, 34; xv. 22, 34, with Matt. i. 23; xvii. 33,46.)
\n neither writer, however, should this be regarded as an adaptation
to U"n
tile readers;
for they were writing in the Greek language, and it is hut
compliance
with an ordinary rule of composition,
that foreign terms lntroduced are accompanied
by a translation.
Moreover, Jew. as well as lientile", in that age, seldom read any other language
than the Greek.
The
argument in favor of the proposition
that Mark wrote especially
for Gentile readers, depends,
when fairly stated, on nothing
more than the fact
that in one instance (vii. 3, 4) he explains
a custom which Jews, at least
those who resided in Palestine, well understood.
But this only show" that
he was not unmindful
of his Gentile
readers,
not that he wrote wit~
especial reference to them.
(On another
passage supposed to bear OD the
question, see the note on xiii. 3.) I conclude
that while :\latthew wrote
especially
for Jews, and Luke especially for the Gentiles,
Mark, whose
evangelical
lahore had been divided between the two classes, wrote without especial referen ~e to either, but with both cla.sea constantlr
before hUt
'1lind.

MARK.
PART FIRST.
UK

MINISTRY

OF JESUS

CHAPTERS

IN OALlLBB.

I.-IX.

I. I TIle beginning of the gos- prophets: Esa'ial the prophetj,

pel of Je'sus Christ, the Son of
"po4>~Tn, Lar-h., Tisch., T. fl. Green, Alford,
God; as it is written in I the Tregelle., K, B, I., D, etc., Old Latin, Vul
gate, 1'.
uc, etc.

SECTlOX

Dtntt. i I), Mnrk introduces him

lit once as " thf' Son of God."
With

I. 1-13.

John'.
Minl,lry Described. 1-8; The
Hapl Ism or Jesus, 9-11; The Te m ptuttou of Jesus, l~, 13.

John's Ministry
Described. 1-8.
(Matt. iii. 1-12; Luke iii. 1-18.)
1. The beginning
of the gospel.-Not
the beginning absolutely
considered, hut Mark's heginning,
ench of the other historians having
a beginning different from this.
~1atthew be~in8 with the genealogy
anrl l.irth of .Iesus ; Luke, with the
announcement
to Zachariah concerning the birth of John; John,
with the pre-existence of the Word
and the testimony of John the Baptist : Mark, with a brief account
of .lohn's ministry introductory to
the baptism and the ministrj' of
Jesus
the Son of God.-Unlike
Matthew, who introduces JeRllR first as

Byriac, Ph. Syriae, Cop-

"Ron of David, 80n of Abraham "

1.

Tus BAPTISM AND rna TEMPTATION

01' JESUS,

~yrlac, H.

a view to Gentile readers, he empb .

sizes the relation of .Jcsus to God
rather than that to Abraham and
the Jewish people.
2, 3, in the prophets.-Two
prophets nrc here qunted ; the pl\.8.
sage beginning, "Behold, I send
my messenger," heinz taken from
Malachi iii. I; and that beginning;
"The voice of one crying," heing
taken from Isaiah xl. :~. 1f the
reading, "in the prophets," be reo
tained, there is no difficult,Y in the
passage; but if the rend ing. "in
the prophet Is aiah." which is rre
ferred by the critics (see critical
note), be substituted, it presents the
difficulty of two passages from two
different prophets being both appo.rently referred to one of them. B~
Bides the !!:reat wei~ht of authority
exhibited in the critical note in
favor of the latter reading, it hili! in
its favor the consideration that it is
less likely to have been the result
(263)

264

MARK.

[i. 8, 4

Behold, I send my mes~enger of the Lord, make his paths

-hall plC- straight.
'IJohll did baptize:
r Ire thy II ay [before thee]./ There UlU John the BaptlBt' in
The \ oico of one cry lllg III the the w ilderness,
1 and
preach:
wilderness, Prepare ye the \Iay I preaclnng I the baptism of rebefore thy face, wluch

'2 il"ur~orr6#.,. (TOll Ree

Omitted by I uch ,
Tl,eh
J ~ Green Alforu Trcgelles N B
" K L P 36 102 11 b c etc l' Synac H
Bynac Coptic, lElhJopIC etc.

4 /l~"TI~WV Ree ~ /la,,~ T 'l Grecn, Al

ford, 1 rpgdlcs ~ B L ~,~1, Coptic
4 0'" Eee
Omi tted by T S Green, Al
ford B 3J, 73 102

none were baptized who were not

believers
III the true God, this was
because
.John preached
only
to
Jews who "ere behevera before his
preachmg
began
As regards faith
In Christ
this was enjoined
as a
duty which was to follow hapnsm
and to bo performed
when
the
Christ should make hI. appearance
(Acts xix 4)
John's baptism was
called
"the
baptism
of repentance " then because It was necessary for a man U) repent in order
that he might
be bllfttzed,
and
becwisc this was the on '/ condition
enjomod
If the baptism
of the
new covenant v. ere designated after
the
s-irne manner,
It would
be
called the baptrsm of faith, because
faith though not the only prercquisrte I~ the chief of all
for the remissron of sins,Rermscron of sms IS but another
exprr sston for pardon, or the forglvene~~ of ~1Il8 "For the remrs_IOn of 811lS" docl-rres the object
for which the II lptl.m of repentance W'lS adrmmste-ed
or, in other
words It POInts out the blessmg U)
he enjoyed
by tho .rellltent
Jew
when b-iptized
Thi-, would need
no argIlmf'nt
to an unprejudiced
4 baptism of repentance - mmd , for It is the natural and 01>1'111'e r let mCillllngoftlll,
cxprossrun
VIOUB m earung of the words
But
lB tn he asccrtaiued
by consnler mg thove \\ ho hav e been taught to deny
the rel ruon between .Iohn s baptism
the divmely estnhlrshed
connection
and repent-moe
Th-it relation
IS between
baptism and rennssion
of
Indicated by the f ict that men wei e sms have resorted U) varrous mgen
required
to repent
a~ a condiuon
IOUS deVIces In order to put a dif
of bemg baptized
(Matt III 8 9)
ferent
meanIng
on passages
hke
Repentance
was the one antecedent
this
One of these devices is the
eoUdltlOD of bapnsm , for although
assumption
that
the
preposition

of a change
If It had been the
orrgmnl reuding
there would have
been a tempt-men
to substituta
" In
the prophets
In order to get rrd
of the ddficulty Just stated,
wherea_ If
In the prophets
had been
the or i.nnul tlu i e would have been
not only no t\ m ptatron to make the
ch-ingc, but v : enson for not mnk
Ing It
We accept therefore
the
corrected
re ldlllg and suppose that
, III the prophets
was adopted
by
tr-mscrrbers
III Older to aVOId the
difficulty
and because they thought
th'\t '\ trust-ike had been made by
former corYlsts
We suppose also
th \t '!.ark 8 I enson for mentiomng
l"'ll'lh
nnd omitnng
the name of
~I.d iclu was th-it the essential part
of the q uor-inon
was that taken
fr IIll the former prophet
(Comp
L m ze 1/1 t. r o )
my messenger.-The
passage III
M ilaeht ('I tl III 1-6) from which
tlus I' an e xtract has unmist-rk vble
reference
to the Messi-ih, and the
mr-sscnner to he sent before h is far-e
can Le no other than John
We
can Bee for OUIselves that 'L\rk s
apphc-mon
of the words 18 correct
The VOlce ~";ell
note on Mat
thow III 1

i.

s-s.j

MARK.

pentance for the remission of

sins. 6 And there went out unto
him all the land of .J udre'a, and
[al9,they of Jeru'salem, and were
[all baptized of him in the river
of or'dan, confessing their sins.

266

~ "Ie. lI:o.i f{3afrTi'oVTO trciVT'f( Rec.

'Ir.
.a.vn(, Kat i{3', Lach., Ttsch., T. S. Green,
Alford, Tregelles.

And John was clothed with

camel's hair, and with a girdle
of a skin about his loins; and he
did eat locusts and wild honey;
T and
preached, saying, There
cometh one mightier than I after
me, the latchet of whose shoes I
am not worthy to stoop dcwn
and unloose. I I indeed have

" for" connects "remission,"

not
with the term baptism, but with the
term repentance; and that repentauce, not baptism, is declared to he
for the remission of sins. According to this assumption, "repentance
for the remiasion of ~ins" is an
adjunct of" baptism," showing what
baptism John preached-a
baptism
preceded by repentance for rem is
sion of sins. But this is a forced
construction of the sentence, and it
bears all the marks of having been
invented for a purpose.
By the
natural and grammatical construetion. "of repentunce " must be regarded as an adjunct of "baptism,"
showing that it is a baptism of repentance, while" for the remission
of sins" declares the object of this
baptism.
We have examples of
the same construction, in both English and Greek, in the following
places: "Christ is the end of the
law for ri~hte{)usness."
(Rom. x.
4.) "He' (the civil ruler) "is the
minister of God to thee for good."
(Rom. xiii. 4.) In each of these
examples the preposition
,. for"
connects its object with the leading
subatantive of the sentence, while
the subordinate substantive with its
l?reposition " of" constitutes an adJunct of the principal subject. 80,
m the instance before us, "for"
connects "baRtism" with "remission of sins, while" of repentance " is an adjunct of "baptism."
Another device has been to assign to "for," the meaning, "on aceount of;" thus making the paasage

mean that John preached the baptism of repentanee on account

the rem issicn of sins which had already taken place. But this is
assigning to the Greek preposition
(;'!) rendered "for"
a meaning
which it never hears, and it makes
John announce as a reason for
baptism that which could not be B
reason for it. How could the fact
that a man's sins had already been
forgiven be a reason why he should
be baptized?
Even if forgiveness
had preceded baptism, baptism
would still have an object of its
own, as it has in the system even
of those who acc!lpt this interpretation, and for this ohject it would be
administered.
The course which
candor and fair dealing with the
word of God requires, is to accept
the meaning which the inspired
writer has left on the very surface
of the ~assage, and not to seek for
forced interpretntions
in order to
save a theory which must be false
unless it can find better support
than this. It follows, that in addition to the animal sacrifices for sin
which the law still required, John
commanded the Jews to be also
baptized for the same purpose, and
thus his baptism served as a tranI sition from the -Iewish law of par
don to that which prevails under
the reign of Christ.
5-8.-1 n these verses Mark employs phraseology almost identical
with that of Matthew, but he presents the thoughts more briefly, and
arranges them in a different order

23

or

266

MARK.

-----------------------

baptized you with water: but

he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost.
And It came to pass in those
days, that Je'sus came from
Naz'areth of Gal'Ilee, and was
baptized of John m J or' dan.
10 And
straightway commg up
out of the water, he sa", the

[i. 9- 18

heavens opened, and the Sptrit

like a dove descending upon
him: 11 and there came a voice
from heaven, saying, Thou art
my beloved Son, in I whom: thul
I am well pleased.
II And immediately the spirit
driveth him into the wilderness.
II And he was [ there] in the
wilderness forty days, tempted

1l .:; Ree 0'0<

Lach , Tisch
T S
Green Alford Tregcllcs ~ B D, L P, I,
13 I, he
Omitted by Lach TIsch
13 22 33 69 118, 111 209 485 etc a, c,
etc Vulgate P Syriac Ph Syriac, Coptic, T S Green Alford Tregelles N B D.
L etc, Old Latin, Vulgate. Coptic etc
etc

(For special remarks see the notes

on Matthew III 4-6, 11, 12 )
The Bapti ~mof JfWS, 9-11 (Matt
III 13-17, Luke III 21-23)
9, came from Nazareth
-That
Je~us came from N uzureth
of
G'1lIlee" to be baptized by .John
shows that he had oonnnusd to
make hra home at Nazareth until
the time of hrs bar,tIsm
In Jordan -'I he frepositIOn
here rendered In" (Hf) means
WiD
and It represents the passage
of the per.on of .lesus Into the
water as the act of baptism took
place
Haptrzed tn the Jordan"
would not be am brguous or obseure ,
but b-iptized uito the Joi d In" IS
more espreevive and IS the correct
rendermg
10 out of the water -The
Greek text from which our verston
was made has here the Greek pre
position
apo (al'lo), rendered'
out
of, ' but all of the more recent
crrtros u mte In regardIng et. (Ix) '1.
the true readmz
::)0 depooe Lnch
mann Meyer Tischendorf Alford
Green Tregelles
This IS the read
lUg of the Smartie
the V itrc m and
m lU;Y other less authorrtntivs
man
U8CrIptS,and the question IS settled
bevond all reasonable doubt
ThiS
questIOn being settled the question
lUI to the immersion of Jesus IS also
.ettled
for if he came up out of

the water, as jx necessarily im plies,

he had gone down Into It, and If
he went down Into the water to be
baptized there IS no room for an
honest doubt that he was Immersed
the Bpmt hke a dove.~ee
note on ~f atthew III 16
11. a voice from hea ven.-On
the Import of the words uttered by
this voice see the note on Matthew
III 17
Mark s report of It as
Luke's also, differs from Matthew'.
In representing the words as ad
dressed to Jesus In the second person It IS most likely that Mark
and Luke give us the words In their
exact form while Matthew adopts
the less dsflrnto form of the third
person, because his mmd was
chiefly directed to the effect of the
speech on the by-standers or because he IS given to the less definite
forms of speech
The Temptation Q( Jesus, 12 1~
('1att IV 1-11, Luke IV 1-13)

12. drrveth him,-While

Mat;.
thew says that .Jesus was led by
the Spmt Into the wrlderness Mltrk
S'1ys the SpIrIt drmetb. him" uSing
a much more forcible term and
indicatmg still more clearly that It
"as not at the volrnon of -Iesus
that he entered into the temptatton
(Comp Matt IV 1 )
13
forty days
tempted.While Mark states that JPBUI wu

MARK.

i. 14, 15.]

of Sa'tan; and WIl8 with the wild

beasts; and the angels ministered
unto him.
U Now after
that John WlIB
put in prison, Je'sus cnrne into
14 Tij. /le,,,,).., IUe. Omitted by Lach.,
TIBeb., 'l'. S. Green, AlIorc\, 'l'regel1eA..)(.
L, I, 28, 8.1,69,209, ete., b, c, ete., Coptlc,
Armealan, Ph. Syr\ac.

tempted forty days, Matthew representa that at the end of the forti':
days" the tempter came to him. '
Luke's statement is like Mark's.
(Luke iv. 2.) I think the best explanation of this is that Mark and
Luke re~arded the forty days' fa~t
&8 a part
of the tem ptation; and
ri~htly so, becnuse it was a necesBary preparation for the trial in regard to bread. Had it not been for
the hunger superinduced
by the
fast, the suggeatiou, "Turn these
stones into breud," would have had
no force.
with the wild beasts.-Mark
i8 alone in mentioning the presence
of wild beasts.
Their presence
added materially to the dreariness
of the forty days of fasting, and
was calculated to make Jeeus impatient of the long detention.
angels ministered.-This
is the
ministering mentioned by Matthew
&8 occurring
after Satan had left
Jesus.
(Matt. iv. 11.)
Mark's account of the temptation
is exceedingly brief. He barely
mentions the fact as he hurries on
to the chief theme of this part of
his narrative, the ministry of Jesus
in Galilpe.
ARGUMENT

OF SEOTION

1.

In this section Mark has set forth

three Incts which have an important bearing on his proposition that
Jesus is the Ron of God: first, that
the prophet John, with direct allulion to him. announced the speedy
appearance of one 80 much more
eXRltF'd than himself, that he wae

Gal'ilee, preaching the gospel

~of the kingdom] of Gorl,
I rand]
88.ying, The time ia fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand: rer.nt ye, and believe the gospe .
III i &e.
Omitted
Green, AlIord.

by Tt.ocb., T. 8

Dot worthy to stoop down ani

100SE'Dhis shoe; second, that when
.Jesus W&8 baptized, God himself, in
an audible voice, proclaimed him
his 80n; and third, that immediately after this proclamation, Satan
commenced against him such
warfare as we would naturally ex
pect him to wage against God', Son
III human
flesh.

n.

SECTION
THH

BEGINNING
OF THB MINISTRY
IN GA.LILBB, I. 14-45.

Time and Theme or His Preacb mg ,

14,15; Call or the Four Ftanermen,
16-20;
Cures

A
at

Demon
Hhnon's

Cast

Pmyer and Dparture,

er Cleansed,

4()-4S.

Out,

HOURP,

21-28;

. ;

85-ll9; A Lep-

Time and Theme of His Preach.

ing, 14, 15. (Matt. iv. 13-17,
Luke iv, 14, 15; John iv. 1-3.)

14, after John was put

prison, - The impr isonmont

in

01
John is the only event named in
the rrosr.els to fix the time when
the Gahlean ministry of Jesus began. (Comp. ~1att. iv 12). An
account of the imprisonment
il
given in Mark vi 17-20.
15, The time is fulfilled.-The
time fix cd in t1H' wr itinjrs of the
prophets find in the purpose of God,
for the long expected Messiah to
make his appearance, and for the
kingdom of heaven to be at hand.
repent ye, and believe .......J'eeu.
wae preaching to penons who ~

268

MARK.

"Now as he walked by the sea

of Gal'ilee, he saw Si'mon and
An'drew his brother casting a net
into the sea: for they were fishers.
IT And
J'e'sus said unto them,
Come ve after me, and I will
make you to become fishers of
men. 18 And straightway they
forsook their nets, and followed
him. Ie And when he had gone
a little farther [thence], he saw
.Iames the son of Zeb'edee, and
John his brother, who also were
19 ,8ev Rec. Omltted hy Laeh., Tisch.,
T. 8. Green, Allord, Tregelle"

readv believed in the true God, and

in the revelation which God had
already made, and his object, at this
stago of his ministry, like that of
John, was to bring them to repentance as a preparation for faith in
himself and his kingdom.
This
accounts for the order in which repentance and faith are here mentioned. To repent toward the God
in whom they already believed, but
whose revealed will they were violating, naturally and properly took
precedence over believing in him
whom God was about to reveal, It
was not a necessary order, for some
who had not repented toward God,
mi~ht have been induced to believe
in .resus j but it was the more practicable order, and it enabled Jesus
to begin his ar~ument on common
ground with his hearers.
At the
same time, a penitent state of heart
was the best possible preparation
fur considering favorably the claims
of Jesus, and for ready faith in
him.

[i. 16-22.

in the ship mending their. nets.

And straightway
he called
them: and they left their father
Zeb'edee in the ship with thl!
hired servants, and went afte)
him.
21 And they went into Caper'
naum ; and straightway on the
sabbath day I he entered into tht.
synagogue, and taught: he taughJ.
in the synagogue I. n And they
were astonished at his doctrine:
for he taught them as one thaI
21 .i".hew. Rec. Omitted by Lach.
20

Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles, c, .

:!I:!,6U,34G, ete., P. Hyriac, etc.

forms of expression, which show

that Mark did not copy from ~la~
thew. The human sources of in
formation enjoyed by the two mu~.
have been the same.

20, with the hired servant.

-'rhe
presence of hired servants
is the only item added by Mark tc
those given by Matthew.
The fact
that the four partners (Luke v. 1\0),
Simon and Andrew, and Juuies
and John, with Zebedee, the father
of the latter two, had hired
servants in their employ, shows
that they were conducting a business of respectahle proportions.
Though their capital was probably
very small, they were enterprising
business men.
A Demon Cast 0Ilt,21-28.
iv. 31-37.)

(Luke

21. the synagogue, - For an

account of the ,Jewish synagogues,
see note on Matthew iv. 23.
22, astonished at his doctrine.

-Not at the subject-matter of it,

Call of the Four Fishermen, 16-20. but because "he taught them as one
that had authority, and not as the
('fatt. iv. 18-22; Lukev. 1-11.)
scribes." They had not yet believed
This paragraph i8 almost identic- in his divinity, and they could not
al with the parallel in Matthew, reconcile his tone of divine authordifl'tlring from it ohiedy in Borne ity with his human nature and

I. 23-27.]

MARK.

had authority, and not as the

scribes.
., And there was in
their ~ynagogue a man with an
unclean spirit; and he cried out,
H SHying, [Let
us alone;] what'
have we to do with thee, thou
Je'aus of Naz'areth? art thou
come to destroy us? I know thee

G;:e~~ffford?1!~~~e1Ie~Y
Lach..

T.

who thou art, the Holy One of

26 And -Ie'sus rebuked him,
saying, Hold thy peace, and
come out of him. III And when
the uncleall spirit had torn him.
and cried with a loud voice, he
came out of him. IT And they
were all amazed, insomuch that
they questioned among thems. selves, saying, What thing is

his humble position in human society.

(Comp. note on Matt. vii.
28, !!9.)
23. an unclean spirit. - The
uncleanness
of the Mosaic law,
which excluded persons affected by
it from the congregation, was 80
striking a type of sin, that it came
to be almost synonymous with sin
in the .Iewish mind. Consequently
the Apirit in this demoniac was
called, on account of his wickedness, an "unclean
spirit."
It is
singular that this wicked spirit,
whose eternal doom had been fixed,
should resort to a worshiping assembly where prayer was offered,
the Scriptures were read, and men
were exhorted to avaid all sin.
24. Let us alone.-This
outcry
was a disturbance
of the quiet
which should reign in a religious
assembly, and the thoughts to which
it gave utterance were very startling. The spirit's recognition of
Je~us as "the Holy One of God,"
and the fear which he mnnifested
that Jesus had come to destroy him
and his fellows, must have made a
deep impression on the people.
25. Jesus rebuked him.-This
was probably the first demon which
Jesus had encountered; at least, it
is the first in point of time mentioned bv anv of the hi~torhns.
We see. then, "that from th" beginning of his encounters with these
beings he rebuked them for speaking of him, and commanded them
soboJd their peaoe and depart from

I God.
I

their victims.
It was important
that he should do this for two reasons : first, that the faith of those
who believed in him should not
rest even in ~art on the testimony
of evil spirits ; second, that he
should not arrear to sustain friendly relations WIth these evil beings,
and with Satan who ruled oyer
them. In spite of all his precautions the ch:trge was made that he
cast out demons by the power of
Sntan (iii. !!2-26); and it was perhaps for the very purpose of giving
apparent ground for this charge.
that Satan prompted the demons to
testify as they did.
26. had torn him.-llad
cllnulsed
him (t1rtapci~ov).
The demon, on leaving the man, gave expressinn to his impotent rage and
malignity, by throwing his victim
into a convulsion, and IJY uttering
a loud outcry through the unfortunate man's lips.
27. they were all amazed.They expressed their amazement
by the remark, "with authority he
commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him." The
power to command disembodied
spirits is more surprising, became
it is more mysterious than the
rower to work" physical miracles.
Th() authority with which he taught
had first surprised them (verse 2:!)
but the authority with which he
commanded the demons was more
surprising still, and it confirmed
the authority of his teaching.

[i. 28-34.

270

this?
Iwhat new doctrine is I mother lay sick of a fever, and
this? for with authority: a 11eUI 'anon they tell him of her.
doctrine with authmily; I com- II And he carne and took her by
mandeth he even the unclean the hand, and lifted her up;
spirits, and they do obey him. and [immediately the fever left
And immediately his fame her, and she ministered unto
spread abroad througl\out all them.
I, And
at even, w\wn
the region round about Gal'- the sun did set, they brought
ilee.
unto him all that were diseased,
2t And forthwith,
when they and them that were possessed
were come out of the synagogue, with devils. II And all the city
they entered into the house of was gathered together at the
Si'mon and An'drew, with James door.
"And he healed nIauy
and John. 10 But Si'mon's wife's that were sick of divers diseases,
and cast out many devils; and

27 Ti( ~ ~,<5a.x~ 7t It'd'''" a.iiTl);

OT' 'C:Cl'T'
Rec, tStoax'1 I((u""lt Ka,.' i(ovcna.v ..ca.,
roZ~ Lach., Ttsch., T. S. Green, Alford,
31 <.9 &e.
I'regelles, I{. B. L. 33.
Tregelles.

JEo1Jcnav

28. his fame spread abroad.

- This was a necessary consequence of the excitement created
in Capernnum.
Any community.
whether intelligent or ignorant. and
whether of ancient or of modern
times, would go wild over such exhibitions of power and authority.
Cures at Simon's House, 29-34.
(~[att. viii. 14-17; Luke iv. 3841. )

29. And forthwith.-They

went
immediately
from the synagogue
;0 the" house of Simon and Anirew, with James and John."
If
this house WII8 in Bethsaida, the
home of these brethren previous to
their call (John i: 45). this village
must have been a suburb of Capernaum; for below (verse 33) it is
said that the whole city was gathered together at the door, and the
only city mentioned in the context
i, Capernaum.
(Verse 21.)
30,31. Simon's wife's moth.er.
-From
this expression it appears
that
Simon, unlike his so-called
successors, the Popes of Rome, was
a married man. For the two rea.an8, that she was sulfering, and

Omitted by T. S. Green.

that her services were needed for

the proper en tcrtainrnent
of the
c0.mrany, she was !~?aled, and" she
ministered
to them.
I
32. when the sun did set.-'Tt
was the Sabbath-day; for the company in Simon's house had come
Immediately from the synagogue
when the assembly had adjourned.
(Verse 2\).)
The healin~ of Simon's mother-in-law, the first curo
of the kind effected in Capernaum,
was the signal for a general rush
of the people to secure the healing
of their sick.
But the traditional
interpretation of the Sabbath law,
which prohibited the hearing of
burdens on the Sahbath-day (John
v. 10), restrained
them un til after
sunset. when, the Sabbath J,eilJ~
over, the;r were at libertv to !'ngHge
in any kind of labor. 'fhnt WRS 0
night of joy in the city. .Iesua was
bestowing
his blesairurs on them.
and had as yet said little or noth inj
to them in re~ard to their \lint>..
They were now like the seed that
fell on the stony p:round.
34. suffered not the devils t~
8Jleak.-See
the notes on verse ~
and Matt. viii. 16.

L 86-41.]

MARK.

suffered not the devils to speak,

because they knew him.
16 And
in the morning, rising
up a great while before day, he
went out, and departed into a
solitary place, and there prayed.
And Si'mon and they that
wer s with him followed after
him.
IT And
when they had
found him, they said unto him,
All men seek for thee. 18 And
he said unto them, Let us go
into the next towns, that I lllay
preach there also: for therefore
Prayer

and Departure,
(Luke iv. 42-44.)

came I forth. And he preached

in their synagogues through(lut
all Gal'ilee, and cast out devils.
00 And there
came a leper to
him, beseeching him, [and kneeling down to him,] and saying
unto him, If thou wilt, thou
canst make me clean.
01 And
[Je'sus], moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and
40 , 'Yo"",,,m UTO. Ret!. Omitted by
La~h., Tisch., T. 8. Green, Alford, Tre

gelles, B, D, r, 102, 124, etc'J a, b, C, etc.

41 ;, di 'I'1O"oiir Bee. .<ai Laeh., Ttsch.,

R. (j reen. Alford, TregellM.

35-39.

"1'.

prayer and flight occurred on Sunday morning.

(Comp. verses 29,
32, 35.)

35. a great while before day.

-This
is Mark'e first allusion to
the prayerfulness of Jesus.
There
are two circumstnnces connected
with this prayer that are worthy of
note: first, the vrry earl1 hour-" a
great while before day' -I\t which
he arose and went out to the solitary place where he prayed j and
second, his ahl'llpt departure when
he learned (verRl'R 37, 38) that the
people were seekin~ for him. The
unbounded admiration with which
the people were re~ardi':l!{ him
mizht have s\vpllpd h ini With vanity~ had not some means been empI(;yed to j!'uard RglLinst this weakneAII. The means employed were
prayer und flight,
Jesus lived a
spotless life, not merely because he
was the Son of God, but because he
used, with unfailing SUCCtlss:~he
means of resiAting and of avoiding
temptation.
What an example for
us who by nature are so weak t
When temptation draws near, lilt
us pruy. and rise up, if need be, a
great while before day," that WI'
maYI~ay in soli.tude while all the
worl IS wrapt III slumber.
And
if the temptation still draws near,
let UII flee from its presence.
This

271

36-38. All men seek for thee.

_ Simon and the other disciples

wcre elated by the sudden popularity of their Master, and they
thought they were bringing most
welcome tidings, when, after a diJigent search to find Jesus, they said
to him, "All men seek for thee."
What was their surprise when their
announcement met with only this
response: "Let us go into the ned
towns, that I may preach there
also: for therefore came I forth.'

39.

in their

synagogues.-

Though Jeeus preached much in

the open air, especially during the
secular days of tne week, the syna.gogue was his constant resort on
the Sabbath-day.
and cast out devils, - Mark
singles out this species of miracles
in his general statement
the Isbors of JeHUS, not because other
kinds of miracles were not wrou)!ht
in the time referred to (see Matt.
iv, 23), but because this was the
moat surpriaing, and mlly stand a.8
the representative of all.
A Le er Cleansed, 40-45.
(Matt
~ .. 2-4' L k
12-16 )
Vlll.
,u
e v.
'.
41'-43. - Por remarks 'In thll

or

272

MARK.

touched
hun, I

huu, and saith unto

\\ III; be thou clean.
"And (.IS boon ,IS he had spoken],
immediately the leprosy depal ted
h Olll hun, uud he was cleansed.
"And he str.utly charged him,
and fort h w rth sent luru away;
"aJl<1 saith unto lum, See thou
say uotlung to any man. but go
42 fl7TOVTO~ a.\!TOV Rec Omitted by Lach
Tlbch T ~ \.xlecll. Alford, 'l rvgellcs N 11,
D, L llJ l J 102, 8. b, C, e etc, P Syriac,
Copnc etc
I

[i. 4~.

thy way, shew thyself to the

priest, and offer for thy cleansmg those things which Mo'sea
commanded, for a testimony
unto them. <6 But he went out,
and began to publish It much,
and to blaze abroad the matter,
Insomuch that Je'sus could no
mure openly enter into the City,
but was without III desert places:
and they came to him from every
quarter.

part of this ~l.Lm..;raph see notes on was excluded from all society, and
the parallel m \l.Ltthew
compelled to remain outside the
camp or City (See the law on the\
44. for thy cleansing.-The
m.ui had already been cle.insed in subject, Lev xin 45, 46, and an exthe some of bemg CUI ed of his ample of ItS enforcement, 2 Ks
When the offerrngs were
unclean disease but that cleansmg Vll J, 4)
l~
not the one here referred to presented these were a testimony
.\ccordmg to the law of \[o~es a that the person had been proleper w a~ still uncle in, III the Icgal nounced by the priest both physrosense of the tel m after the leprosy ally and legally clean
h id entirely departed from him
45. could no more openly enWhen the disease hold departed he ter. - Every miracle which Jewas to be examined by aIriest, to sus wrought of a kind different
see If this were a fact, an then he from those whreh had become somewas to procure two birds, one of what faunhar, increased the already
whu.n was to be slam and Its blood intense excitement among the Galcaught 1Il a vessel 'If running rleans, and to such a p.tch did the
water,
he was to be sprmklod excitement now run, that the crowds
'I'his was unfaseven times With this bloody water, became Immense
was to wash his clothes, shave off vorable to calm thought, and therehis hall', and bathe hrs body III fore Jesus retired to desert places
few would
water, both on that day and the where comparatively
seventh day thereafter , and after follow him
all tlus he was ole-in He was then
ARGUMENT OF SECTION 2
allowed to approach the altar, where
certain other offerings were to be
resented
(See Lev XIV 1-20)
In thrs section Mark has furY t IS this legal cleanslllg tint IS re- mshed a stnking exhibrtion of both
ferred to in the text and the offer- the divine authority and the divine
m.!;~ were tn order to this cleans- power of Jesus
Such was the aumg not, as some hax e "uppO"pd, thority which he could exercise
be. (t/lse of the cleansmg which had over men, that when he commanded
been already effected by the touch the four fishermen to follow him,
and the word of Jesus
they left all they had on earth,
for a testimony. - While the Without a question or a moment.
uncleanness fi om leprosy contm- delay, and followed him And such
DAd the unfortunate vrctnn of It was the authority WIth which he

ii. 1, 2.]

MARK.

273

II. 1 And again he entered

into Caper'naum
after some
da \'S; and it wall noised that he
11"::8 ill till' house.
And straight-

way many were gathered together, insomuch that there was

no room to receive them, no, not
so much as about the door: and

commanded
<lemons, that although
these wicked spirits were not willill::ly ohcdicnt,
they instantly
depart .d from their
victim" at his
bidding,
~lIeh, too, was hi" !,lower,
that at his touch
the malignant
fever, the incurable
lepro"y,
and
all the malud ies which afflict the
body, were instantly
healed.
Such,
fiunlly, was hi unexampled
meekn ess, that mnid these displays of
divine authority
and powpr, when
populur
applau,e
rnn hi~h, ho retired by n izht to pray, or wandered
sway into des .rt places.
II is meekness was as hi),(iJ uhove tlie capacity of a merely
human
being, as
were his miracles.

the cure of the centurion's

servant
(viii, 5-13), or which Mark sa~8
nothing;
his third
is that of Simon's
mother-in-law,
which is the
second with Mark; und finally, they
unite in following this last miracle
with the cures
at Simon's
door.
This difference
alone is sufficient
proof that Mark's
narrative
is not
an abridgment
of Matthew's.

IhFFERES'CE

FRO~( ~IATTHEW.

One of the characteristic

differences between
Mark and ~latthew,
their
difference
ill regard
to arran),(pment, is conspicuous
ill their
mode" of treating
the subject-matter of the preceding section.
Mark
USC" almost
the same material
with
~htthew,
but how differently
he
arranges
it I They both begin with
the removal
of Jesus
to Galilee,
after
the impr isomuent
of John,
and follow this with the call of the
four fishermen : but Matthew
next
introduces
the gencr:t1 statement
of the preaching
throughout
G1Llilee (iv. 2il-2,'j), which
Mark
re-I
serves until after the cures lit Simen's house (i. 3\J); he next devotes
considerable
space
to the
sermon on the mount, which Mnrk
omits; then he introduces
as his
first mentioned
miracle the cure of
the leper (viii. 1-4), whi.J'h is the
third miracle
mentioned
by Mark
[i, 40-45); his second miracle is

SECTIOX

III.

DISCUBSIO:oIS WITH SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, II, A!>ID III,

A~~:::n~oI~~rilt.~
Hi u ners. 13-17;

F~jl;~:Vr,,;~~ti~~:,I~
1;~2j
About

F'ast t ng , 18-

i ng' Grain
on the
HalJbatil,23-~8;Abonlll
alingon the
Hahhatil,
ill. 1-6; Tile Great :'Inltl
tudes, 7-12; The 'I'we lve CIIOSt'Il,
1319; Alarm
of His Friends,2\),
21;

2'2:

Abou t

About

About

Ptuck

('astlllg

Out

His Brothers

Demons,

2~30;

and Mot uer. 31-

&;,
About Power to Forqire Sins, ii.
1-12. (~I11tt, ix, 1-8; Luke v.
17-26.)

1, 2, into

Capernaum,-There
is no inconsistency
between
this
statement
and the one just previously made, that after tLl' healing
of the leper he "could
no more
openly
enter
into the city"
(i.
45); for the present
stuteurcnt
is
that"
he entered
into Cupernuum
after .~ome da f;" and even now
he enters in privately,
as appears
from the remark,
"it was noised
abroad that he was in the house."
When
it was thus noised abroad,
"stmightway
lIlany were gathered
together,
insomuch
that there WfUI
no room to receive
them, no, not
so much as about the door;
and
this confirms
the previous
statemens,
II

274

[ii. 3-13.

MARK.

he preached the word unto mediately when Je'sus perceived

them.
And they come un- in his spirit that they so reasoned
to him, bringing one sick of within themselves, he said unto
the palsy, which was borne of them, \Vhy reason ye these things
four.
And when they could in your hearts? 8 Whether is it
not come nigh unto him for the I easier to say to the sick of the
pres~, they uncovered the roof palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee;
where he was: and when they or to say, Arise, [and.] take up
had broken it up, they let down thy bed, and walk? 10 But that ye
the bed wherein the sick of the may know that the Son of man
palsy lay.
6 When ,J e'sus
saw hath power on earth to forgive
their faith, he said unto the sick sins, (he saith to the sick of the
of the palsy, Son, thy sins be palsy,) 11 I say unto thee, Arise,
forgiven [thee].
6 But
there LandJ take up thy bed, and go thy
were certain of the scribes sitting way into thine house. And imthere, and reasoning in their mediately he arose, took up the I
hearts, 7 Why doth this mall \ bed, and went forth before them \
I thus speak blasphemies?: speak all; insomuch that they were all
tJL1.J,.~f he bla.<phelltelJ.1 who can fur- amazed.and
glorified God.saying,
give sins but God only? 8 And im- \Ve never saw it on this fashion.
IS And he went forth again by
~ c-cv Ree. Omitted by LIlCh., Ttsch.,
S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

T.

Ree.
f3AfJ.(f<jJ.,,/.J.@'i
Lach , Ttsc-h , T. S. Green, Alfuru, Tre7 AaA~t

Ree,

Omitted

by

11 Ka, Rec. Omitted by

Green, Alford. Trege lles,

gelles, N, H, I), L, Vulgate, etc.

--------1

3-5. When

Ka,

Green, Alford.

~Ao.(J'fb"'J-Li.as;

Tisch.,

T.

TlBch., T. S.

------------

Jesus saw their' of the owner of the house, they

faith.-Their
faith WILS very clearly
tear open the roof and let the man
seen in their actions.
The man down as low as they can reach,
could not walk, hut he had four above the heads of the people withfriends whose faith in the power
in.
It is difficult to see how they
and willill~ne8R
of ,Je~u8 to heal, could have shown their faith more
him wus so great,
that they hore I plainly.
The reason why sinners
him on his heddinz
to the house. I do not now show their faith in him
U nuhle to get into the house, on M pluinly,
when they have it, is
account
of' the eac;er pressure
of : because
thpy have not 80 great a
the crowd, but determined
not to I desire
to be healed.
Men who
be haftied, they contrived
hy some would risk every thing for the cure
uu-nus. most likely by an outside
of hodily disease, often bear verv
!light of stairs,
to got upon the patiently
the maladies of the 80111.
roof with their burden
It was no I
5-12.-0n
the argument
of Jesus
easy task for them til make the as-" from this case, and the general
co lit. carry injr a wan who was per design
of the miracle,
Bee notes,
feelly
helrle~8.
Thev
found, or Matt. ix 1-8.
perhapR th"y knew before, that tho
About Eating with Publicans and
roof was one which could he broken
Sillners, 1:~-17. (Matt. is. 9-13;
open
easily
(it was a tilo roof,
Luke v. 27-32.)
Luke
v. I \i), and IIOW, notwith13. by the sea-side.-The
slop~tanding
the expense
they would
ing shore of the lake of Galilee waa
incur, and the probable disploasure
[I

MARK.
the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he
taught them.
"And
as he
passed by, he saw Le'vi the son
Alphre'us sitting at the receipt
of custom, and said unto him,
Follow me.
And he arose
and followed him.
16 And
it
came to pass, that, as Je'sus
Bat at meat in hit>house, many
pu bl icans and sinners sat also
together with Je'sus and his discipies: for there were III all y, and
they followed him. 16 And when

276

the scribes and Pbar'iseee saw

him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples,
How is it that he eateth and
drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17 \Vhen J e'sus heard it,
he saith unto them, They that
are whole have no need of the
physician, but they that are
sick: I carne not to call the righteous, but sinners [to repentance J.
IB And the disci pies of John and

.i.

17
Tisch.,

I"miv.lv Ree,
Omitted by L&ch.,
T. is. Green, Alford. TregeUes.

a favorite resort of Jesus when sur- which was first insisted on by the
rounded by a multitude. By taking German Commentator, Meyer, but
his position at the water's edge, or the passa~ee which he cites in supon some fiehinu boat tied up at the port of his objection do not sustain
shore, he coul~ prevent the crowd It, and he adm its that this may be
from surrounding him, and as they the meaning.
~lark certainly uses
stood or sat on the slope he could this combination of the verb and
easily make his voice reach them participle to express what W!lB at
all
the time being done, and not what
14. Levi the son of Alpheus.was customary, in x, 32 and xiv. 4,
Levi is the Hebrew name of ~Iat- as the reader of the Greek can see
thew, the latter being; a Greek sur- for himself. It was the circumname, adopted probably when he stance that the Pharisees and the
became a tax collector. (Comp. disciples of John were observing a
~Iatt. ix, 9.) Whether his father fast at the very time that Jesus and
Alpheus is the same Alpheus who his disciples were feasting in the
WIlS the father of James the younger
house of Levi, which gave rise to
(iii. 18), is quite uncertain.
The the question, or which at least ~ave
name is too common to furnish safe especial emphasis to it. Fasting
ground for a conclusion, and we I was regarded as a mark of peculiar
have no other evidence on the ques- sanctity (Luke xviii, 12), and theretion.
fore it seemed unaccountable to the
15-18.-For
remarks on the re- .Iews that .Ieaus, with his lofty pre
muinder of this parngraph, see the tensions. should be feasting at a
notes on Matt. ix, \1-13, where the time when other holy men were
argument of Jesus is more fully re-I fasting.
ported.
It is worthy of note that Matthew
AI.
t
'"
ti
18
2')
('I
tt'
represents
about
~ uOIJ r as 111'1,
-~.
a . IlL .
h' this question
b
'.1
b I'M!;.
th
14-17. Luk v 33-39 )
l~g .as
aVIng een rruseu. y
e
,
e.
.
disciples of John (~latt. IX. 14);
18. used to fast. - Literally, Luke puts it into the mouths of the
were fasting.
They were at that scribes and Pharisees (Luke v. 30
time keeping a fast, Such is the force 33); while Mark says that the Pharo
of the Greek verb, ~1av "'7af'EVOvf'E,. isees and the disciples of John
Alf}rd objects tAl this rendering, united in putting the q'18stion.

276

[ii. 19-26.

MARK.

of the Phnr'tsees used to fast: [bottles, and the wine I is spilled,

and they come and say unto him, and the bottles will be marred: it
Why do the drsci pit's of .John lost alia the bottles I: [hut new w uie
and of the Phar'isees fast, hut must he put II1to new bottles].
thy disciples fast not? 18 And
,. And it came to pass, that
Je'bus said unto them, Can the he went through the corn fields
chrldreu of the bndechamber on the sabbath day. and his
fast, w hue the bndegroorn ISI disciples began, as they went, to
with them? as long as they have pluck the ears of com. And
the bridegroom with them, they the Phar'iseoa said unto him,
can not tast. 20 But the days Behold, w hy do they on the
II III come, w hen the bridegroom
-abbath day that which is not
shall he taken awav from them, l.iwful ? ~ And he said unto
and then shall they -titSt [in those them, Have ye never read what
days. tn tJlat dayl.
IlNo man Da'vid did, when he had need,
[also] seweth a piece of 'l<al\cloth find W,tS an hungered, he, and
on an old garment: else the nell t hev that were II ith hun?
piece that tilled It up taketh '6 Ifow he went into the house
III1<ly from the old, 11,1(1 the rent of God III the I days of' Abi'athar
IB made worse
2' Allel no man
the high priest . high-prustJlOod
putteth new wine into old I)ottles.
a1ToAo1.wr" .
else the [new] wme doth bu -st the 22 0 011'0, tJ(X~lT(U Ol
IClll

20 fJl I'KftJlCUf Ta.l~ l'J"'fpa.,~

Rec flo' IlCttJl]l
"11l/iJ.fpo. Lach , Trsch ,T S Green, AIJC'rd
I'rL;(clleb
21 <a< Rec
Omitted b) 1 ach , T1SCt-,
T " (.reell Alford Treg elh x
22 0 VfO~ Rec Orm tu.d b) 1 ach Trsch
T ~ Gt eeu, Alford I'regel les

Thus It appears from the statement

of '\{.1lk th.it Matthew and Luke,
though apparently III conflict are
both correct
The disciples of John
did put the question as represented
by Matthew and the scrrbes and
Pharisees did 80 as represented by
Luke
E ich tell.
the truth, but
each tell~ only d p lrt of wh lt was
true and \\ 0 get at tho" hole truth
by puttmg both of thr-n- statements
., I
'I'l
IAll(ctler as one
u- circumstance
furnishes a key to the reconcihation
of the different writers in m my
other place- where there 18 an appear,mce of drscrep-uicy
and we
have used It freely
We should
always, 1Il such caves, suppose both
statements to be true, nnd regard
each all a part of the whole truth

4UICOL

Rec 0 or a1ToAAv'Tctt KCU Ot ClI1KOL 'I'Isch r 5

Green
Alrord, Tr,..gellcs, B 8. b e etc.,
Cupt
22 a.AAa. olJ1oJl VfO' ft~ c o-covs Kac. .OV~ f3ATJTfO"
RPc Omitted b; TlbCh,
T S Green,
Alfor I D a, b If 1
26 t:1Tl 'A 'TOV a.px..tfPfW~ Ret!
TOll omitted
by J uch
Tisch , '1'. S <. reen, Alford, Tregcll .b

19-22 -For remarks on the an1 H'<'l'rof Jesus see the notes on Matthew IX 15-17 By comparing the
i ansv-er ,l~ gJ\pn by the two writers,
the reader " III .lglllll discover an
identity of thought IlldlCdtlng a
counnon -hoice of iuatcn ils, and at
the same tuue a vurrety of expresSlOll mdrcatmz perfect mdependence III compositloll
AI
t 1'/ I
EY
th S b
rou
'" "III!! .rl -:un 011
e Saobath
2l-28
(\btl 1[11 1-8'
L k'
1-5 )
,
u e VI
26. of Ahlathar.-'lh'

WIll oh-erv e that the crit.cal

reader

note,
correct the reading of the common
i verswn here, grnng us "1Il the
I high priesthood of Abiather," instead of" III the dave of Abiathar."

ii. 27-iii. 2.J

MARK.

of .Abi' aihar I, and did eat the

shewbread, which is not lawful
to eat but for the priests, and
gave also to them which were
with him? 'T And he said unto
them, The sabbath was made for
man, and not man for the sab-

2f1

bath: therefore the Son of

man is Lord also of the sabbath.
III. 1 And he entered again
into the synagogue j and there
was a man there which had a
withered hand.
And they
watched him, whether he would

This is doubtless the correct ren- this reason -Iesua adds, "Therefore
dering, but it involves an apparent the Son of man is Lord also of the
conflict between this passal$e '1.nd Sabbath;"
that is, as the Son of
the account in 1 Sam XXI. 1-6, man came to provide for man's welwhere Ahimelech is said to have fare, and as the Sabbath law might
been the high priest at the time re- need modification or even abrogaferred to. Abiathar is there repre- tion for the highest good of man,
sented as a son of Ahimelech, who therefore lordship over the Sabbath
took refuge with David after his was given to the Bon of man. The
father and the other priests had passage teaches, then, not that men
been slain by Doeg (1 Sam. xxii. might violate the law of the BahI H-20), and who was high priest bath when their welfare seemed
throughout the reign of David. This to them to demand it, but that
confusion of the two names is not Jesus could set it aside, as he afterconfined to the New Testament, for ward did, when his own jud~ent
in 2 Sam. viii. 17, and 1 Chron. of man's welfare required him to
xviii. 16, the names are reversed, do so. lIe made it clear on thia
and Ahimelech is called the son of occasion that said law was not to
Abiathnr.
It is evident that some be so construed as to prevent men
mistakes of transcribers in this mat- from providing necessary food OD
tor have crept into the text of the the Sabbnth-duy,
Old Testament, and it is probable
For comments on other parte of
that in a similar way .Abiathar has this paragraph, see the notes OD
been substituted for .Ahimelech in Matt. xii. 1-8.
the text of Mark. For other opinh S
III
ions on the subject, see the note on About Healinq on t e abbath,
.
1-6. (~Iatt. xii. 9-14; Luke vi.
this verso in Lange.
27, 28. sabbath was made for
6-11.)
man.-These
verses contain an
I, 2. And they watched him.
argument not reported by either -'rhe
people were assembled in
Matthew or Lnke. That the Sab- the synagogue for worship A man
h-.:~: was made for man, and not man with a withered hand was present
for the Sabbath, implies that when when Jesus came in. They watched
the welfare of man conflicts with him to see whether, according to
the observance of the Sabbath, the his custom, he would heal the man,
latter must give way. But of this, or decline to do so through respect
man himself is not to judge, be- for the Sabbnth-day.
Luke, more
cause he can not judge with im-I minute in his description, tells us
partiality his own interests.
No I that it was the man s right hand
one is competent to judge in the that was witherell-a
more serious
case who does not know all that affliction than if it had been the
pertains to the weI faro of man, and left.
Matthew also tells us thai
thill is known only by the Lord. For "they asked him, aaying, Is it IlLw

278

MARK.

heal him 011 the sabbath day;

that they might accuse him.
And he saith unto the man
which lUHI the withered hand,
Stand forth.
'And he saith
unto them, L it lawful to do
good on the sabbath days, or to
do evil? to save life, or to kill?
Bu t they held their peace. 6 And
when he had looked round about

[iii. 8-6.

on them with anger, being

grieved for the hardness of their
hearts, he saith unto the man,
Stretch forth thine hand. And
he stretched it out: and his
hand was restored whole as the
other].
8 And
the Phar'isees
went forth, and straightway took

5 VY'~'W.~ .;:.\.\~Rec. Omitted by Lach.,

Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford. Tregelles.

ful to heal on the Sabbath-day? day, will he not lay hold on it ana
that they might accuse him;" from lift it out? How much then is &
which we infer that they were fear- man better than a sheep?"
(Matt.
ful lest he might not notice the xii. 11, 12.) ']'0 neither of these quellman, and so, by propounding the tions did they give an answer.
question, they caused him to look
5, with anger,-Anger
mingled
around and see if anyone
there with grief -" being grieved for the
needed healing.
hardness of their hearts."
Anger,
3, he saith to the man,-Both
when rightly directed and conMark and Luke represent that be- trolled, is not a sinful feeling; but
fore answering the question pro- it iR It dangerous one, because it is
pounded, JC8US said to the man, very likely to end in sinful speech
"t'tand forth," and thus caused him or aetion : hence the admonition of
to stand up in full view of all the Paul," Be angry and sin not. Let
people, 80 as to make more striking not the sun go down on your
what h~ then proceeded to say and wrath."
In this case Jesus showed
do.
anger onlJ in his look: there was
4. Is it lawful.-In
answer to none in hIS words.
their question as given hy Matthew,
he saith
to the man, - lIe
. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath- first, according to Matthew (~latt.
day," he puts to them the question, xii. 12, 13), answered his own ques.' Is it lawful to do good on the Sab- tions and the argument which they
bath-day, or to do evil? To save, contained, by sn.ying, "Wherefore,
life, or to kill?"
To heal this man ' it is lawful to do well on the Sabwould be doing ~ood; it would he bnth-days."
Then he saith to the
making alive.
Fo pass him by, man," Stretch forth thy hand." He
having the power to heal him-a
did so, and it was restored
power given for the purpose of
6. took counsel.They took
being thus exercised - would be counsel not as to whether they
doing evil, to kill where he might should destroy him, but as to how
make alive. He must do one or the they might destroy him."
They
other, and he calls on them to ~ay took the Herodians, the political
which.
They refused to answer, I partisans of Herod, into their conbecause the only answer they could fidr-nee, because they were looking
give would condemn themselves. to Herod as the effective instrument
Matthew reports an additional argu- for the destruction of Jesus.
He
ment which comes in at this point: had already shown his aptitude for
What man shall there be among such work by the manner in which
rou, that shall have one sheep, and he had disposed of John, and now
if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath- they wanthi8 services again. Un'I

I
I
I

II

II

iii. 7-11.]

MARK.

counsel with the Hero'diuns

against him, how they might:
destroy him.
I
I But .Ie'sus withdrew himself
with his disciples to the sea: and
a great multitude from Gal'ilee
followed [him], and from J udee'a, 8 and from Jeru'salern, and
from Idumse'a, and from beyond
Jor'dan; and they about Tyre

G;e:~~i~~d,
~~~~r~8.bY

Tisch., T. 8.

like Jesua- who was angry and

sinned not, they were angry and
sinned.
Their malignity, provoked
by so slight a cause, would amaze
us, did not history furnish so many
examples of men who sought the
destruction of those by whom their
erroneous teachings were exposed.
The Great Multitudes, 7-12. (Matt.
xii. 15-21.)

7. Jesus withdrew.On the

contrast here presented between
Jesua and his enemies, see the note
on Matt. xii. 15.
7, 8. a great multitude.-Mark
here states more fully than it is
elsewhere stated, the places whence
came the multitudes who followed
Jesus.
Galilee, of course, was
largely represented, and so it seems
were Judea and Jerusalem.
The
two visits which Jesus had made to
Jerusalem since his baptism (see
John ii. 13; v. 1), had gained him
8. few
d isciples there, and had
greatly excited both his friends and
his foes. As a consequence, both
parties naturall;r sought every orportunit,Y for VIsiting Galilee, that
they llllght see and hear more.
Some had come from Idumea, the
Edom of the Old Testament. which
lay south of Judea; others, from
beyond Jordan-that
is, from the
populous region which stretched
away from the eastern bank of the
Jordan to the Arabian desert: and

279

and Si'don, a great multitude,

when they had heard what great
things he did, came unto him.
'And he spake to his disciples,
that a small ship should wait on
him because of the multitude,
lest they should throng him.
IOFor he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon
him for to touch him, as many 88
had plagues.
11 And
unclean
spirits, when they saw him, fell
others, from Tyre and Sidon, the
ancient capitals of Phoenicia. Thus,
from all the surrounding countries,
and from some quite distant regions, were men assembled around
.lesus at this particular juncture.
'I'hey came, says Mark, "wl~en they
had heard what great thIngs he
did"
They came at great expense
of time and money, that they might
see and hear and judge for themselves.
9. that
a small ship. -The
pressure of the people to get near
him often caused discomfort to him,
confusion among themselves, and
indistinct hearing of his speeches.
The small ship enabled him to
place It narrow strip of water between him and them, thus removing all occasion for their crowding
one another, and securing that
quietness which is necessary to
thoughtful attention .
10. pressed upon him to touch
him. - Here is an additional reason for procurin~ the boat. Too
eager to await hIS pleasure, or to
wait for one another, the diseased
would press upon him, and against
each other, in the struggle to touch
him and be healed.
Much unsanctified noise and strife were
pr~v~~ted by the use of the" little
ahip.
11. And unclean 8pirits.-Here
again the evil spirits are called
unclean" (comp note on i. 23);

280

MARK.

down before him, and cried, say-:

inc, Thou art the Son of God.
And he straitly charged them
that they should not make him
known.
II And
he goeth up into a
mouurum, and calJeth unto him
whom he would: and they carne
unto hun. "And he ordained
twelve, that they should he with
him, and that he might send
they
fall down
before -Ievus, a.
usual , they acknowledge
his di
v iuity with a loud voice , they arc
rebuked
for lllJ.klll~ hun knowu ,
and they ure expelled
from their
victims

[iii. 12-17.

them forth to preach, 16 and t~

have power [to heal sicknesses,
and] to cast out devils; II and
Si'mon he surnamed Pe'ter j
IT and
James the son of Zeb'edee, and John the brother of
James; and he surnamed them
Boaner'ges, which is, The SOllS
11j 9~pa"IV~'p
7'a~6uovr ItQ(!lee Omftted
by Tisch ,T S Green, Alford, Tregelles, It,
B, L, L, ..l., 102, Copt.

the parallel passages tLut the words

were spoken by Jesus, whether
reported by ~Ltrk or not
(See Matt
x I, Luke ix I)
16. he surnamed
Peter.-Mark
chooses
to mention
here
a fact
which
occurred
when Simon was
1'I'f Tsoelre Choven, 13-19 (Matt
x 1-4, Luke vi 12-16)
first led into the presence
of .lesua
by his brother
Andrew,
for it W.18
13, and calleth to him.-,JetluB
then that he surnamed
him Ceph 18,
went Ill! into the mountain
the pre- which is the same as Petros (tei1'po,)
VIOUSIll~ht, as we learn from Luke
in Greek and Peter
in English.
(Luke VI 12), and after remaining
(John i 42)
there all night III prayer, called to
17. Boanerges,-This
surname
It lin whom he would m the morn- of the sons of Zebedee
may have
ln~
lie probably
made tho call been given, as Simon's was, at an
throuuh one of them us a messenger
earlier period, or it may have been
tv the others
given at this time. They were called
14, 15. he ordained
twelve."Aons of thunder,"
on account of
'\Te mu-t not associate
With the their stormy and destructive
temper
word "OIdJ.in"
in this place, any A striking
manifestation
of it IS
of the ceremonials
of a mudern
or mentioned
by Luke
'Vhen a Saev en uf an ancient ordm.ition
The mar itnn vllla~e in which J eAUS deorl~IJ\,d i~ teo,,", (to IiUll.e), sorne- sired to lod~e, refused
to receive
tuue- u-ed in the <ense f "JiJl.mllt,
him, James lind John proposed
to
e y, Acts
ii 36,
Hob
III
2, call down fire from heax en and
Rev i 6
He simply"
appointed
burn up the mhabitants
(Luke IX
twelve,
that they should
be with 151-56)
On another
occasion,
a
III ttl and that he mill;ht send them
man was found castinll; o-it demons,
forth to preach"
They were to he and because
he was not of the irnwith hun except
when he would
mediate
followers
of Jesus, John
send them
forth .. uid when sent ordered him to abandon
his benevf"l th, the work which they wore to olent and miraculous
work
Th
do IS expressed
in the three words,
early
death
of James,
and our
"preach,"
"he,Ll sicknes-ea,"
"and
scant knowledge
of him, leave us
C,L.t out demons"
From the crit- without
data as to any change
ill
ic.il notes it ,tppears
that "to heal his disposition.
but the
lovely
arcknesaes " is probably
an inter- 1 temper
of John
in hi~ old RJI;e,
polation
here,
but we know CroDI 1 showe that the trall.lCorming
power

iii. 18-22.]

MARK.

of thunder: lIIand An'drew, and

Phil'ip, and Barthol'omew, and
Mat'thew, and Thom'as, and
James, the son of Alphse'us, and
Thadde'us, and Si'rnon the 1 Ca'
naanite : Ca'ruma;an I.
18 And
Iu'das Iscar'iot, which also hetrayed him: and they went into
an house.

281

20 And
the multitude cometh
together again, 80 that they
could not 80 much as eat bread.
II And when his friends heard of
it, they went out to lay hold on
him: for they said, He is beside
himself .
10 And the scribes which came
down from Jcru'salem said, He
hath Beel'zebub, and by the
prince of the devils casteth he

18ItcU'C1,.(TlP"
Ree. Kcr.V4I1CllOV
Lacb., Ttsch.,
'1'. S Green, Alford, Tregelles.

F(Jr

of the gospel
wrought
a great
change
in him.
Great
as this
change was, however, a slight muttering of the old thunder was heard
when .Tohn came to speak of such

Iist, see the notes

x.2-4.

men as Diotrephes, and certain false

teachers who went about not bearing the doctrine of Christ.
(See 2
John 10, 11; 3 .John g, 10.)
18,
and
Andrew.
- ,\Iatthcw
and Luke both name
Andrew
in
connection
with his brother
Himon
Peter; but Mark names James and
John with Peter, and puts A ndrew
next, in company with Philip.
lIe
was doubtless
led to this arrungement bv the fnct that Peter
was
more i~timate officiully with .Iatnes
ant! .Iohn, than with Andrew,
and
that .1"8I1S be-rowed
on the throe
spet'ial h nors in which Andrewdid
not h:lI'e a part.
(Uornp. ix. 2;
xiv :n)
Thaddeus.-Matthew
styles thisi
apo-tle, " Lebbreus, whose surname
was Thnddreus " (x. 3); :\Iark calls
him by his surname
alone; while
Luke uses neither
of these names,
but call. him" Judas the brother of
Jumes"
(TJukA vi. J6; Acts i. 13);
and .John calls him ".Judas,
not
Iscnriot."
As Matthew
was the
earliest.
and John the latest of the
four writers,
we infer that the man
.
I'
lif
I b
was k flown ID ear ior ire as ,e breu-,
surnamed
Thaddreus : but
that late in life he came to be
known
exclusively
by the name
Judas.

20. so much as eat bread.Great must have been the iruportunity of the afflicted, and tho eagerness of all to come near to .Iesus,
when
he and his disciples
could
not BO much as eat bread on their
account.
~ either by entering some
dwelling,
nor by retiring
to the
desert, could they secure the privacy
uecessary
for eating
a common
meal.
21. his friends. - These were
his mother and hi, brothers,
as appears
from
verses 3!, 32, below.
They did not think
him actually
insane, but they supposed
that he
was borne away by the enthusiasm
which possessed him into a reckless
disregard
of his personal
safety:
for they foresaw the conflict with
the religious
leaders and the rnilitary authorities,
in which his present course would involve him.
The
probability
is that
Mary'e
faith
was in Itdvance of
that of the
brothers,
but she naturally
sympa,thized with them in their fears for
the personal
safety of her son.
A bou t Ca.~InrI
ti
0 /I t D emons, 22-30 .
(M tt. xii 22"-37' Luke xi. 14-23.)
a
.
,
22. which
came
from
Jerusalem. -Matthew
gives the fullest
r nort of thia diacu.sion,
but Mark

24

the

remarks

on other names in
on Matthew

A {arm of His Friends, 20, 21.

2~2

MARK.

out dev ils

And he called
them unto him, and said unto
them in para hies, How can Sa' tan
cast out S..t'tan?
"And
if a
kingdom
be divided
against
itself,
that km~dom
can not
stand.
16 And
If a house be
divided against Itself, that house
can not stand,
06 And If Sa' tan
rise up against himself, and be
divided, he can not stand, but
hath an end.
21 [Nay,]
No man
can enter into a strong man's
house, and spoil his goods, except
he will first bind the strong
m.m ; and then he "Ill spoil lns
house.
28Verily I 8a) unto you,
All sins shall be forgiven unto
2- aAA' Added by Tisch, T 8 Green,
A!ford Tregelles, 1(, B C, L A, etc,
CoptiC Armenian

[ilL 23-32.

I the sons of men, and blasphemies

I wherewith
soever
they
shall
blaspheme'
JIJ but
he that shall
blaspheme
agamst
the
Holy
Ghost hath never forgiveness,
but IS in danger
of eternal
Idarnnation : gUllt I: 10 because
they said, He hath an unclean
spirit
81 There
came then his brethren ant! his mother, and, standmg without, sent unto him, calling hun. 12 And the multitude
sat about him, and they said
unto him, Behold, thy mother
and thy brethren [and thy si,.,ters]
29 /(Plt1'~W(
R~
t11La.pTfllA-o.TOf
Lach
Tlbeh T S Green Alford, I rcgelles tt.
B I A 1.h 11 Old Latin, Vulgate Coptic,
Armenia
etc
32 Ka.t a.t aOfAIjJ(u 0'0\1 Added by Lach,
Tisch. T S breen

here furnishes an Item which Mat- About HlS Br. thers and Mother,
31-35
C\latt xri 46-50, Luke
the" omits
It was not some of
V11I
19-21)
the enemies of Jesus in Gahlee,
but shrewd and cultivated scrrbea
from Jerusalem,
who suggested
31. then came his brethren.that he cast out demons by the The prc\lous statement about his
power of Beelzebub
friends com mg out to lay hold of
23-29.-'1'he
diSCUSSIOncontalll- him (2l) seems to have reference
ed III these verses 18 fully treated III to their starting from home, or
the notes on Matthew xli 24-32
from some place of consultation, for
30. because
they sald.-Thls
this purpose, while the pre~ent reverse IS appended hy Mark to the I mark refers to their arrival at the
Savinr'a speech about the unpal-Ioutskirts
of the crowd which sur
donable Sill, to show why he made rounded him
They sent to him.
that speech, and to state exphcitly callmg him" because as Luke exthe unpardonable SID which they plains (V11l 19),' they could not
had committed-the
Sill of saylllg get to him for the pre8~ "
concermn~ Jesus "He hath an un32 sat about him+-He
'1'1&11
clean SPIrIt'
Thi W"lS indeed, a stil! ID the house (19, 31), and the
sm agalllst the Sun but chiefly people were seated around him so
ag'tlllst the Bpmt because It was compactly that no one could pa.s~
elassmg the Holy Spirrt With un- through
All the available space
clean SPIritS, and this was the withm hearrng distance was packed
blasphemy agalllst the Holy Spirit With the quiet throng
When some
of whloh they were gUilty
one, perhaps a person near the
door, spoke out and said, "Thy
mother and thy brethren without
seek thee," the people may hal"

~IARK.

iii. ::!3-iv. 5.]

without seek for thee. And

he answered them, saying, Who
is my mother, or my brethren?
"And he looked round about on
them which sat about him, and
said, Behold mx mother and my
brethren I 56 LFor] whosoever
shall do the will of God, the
same is my brother, and my
sister, and mother.
IV. I And he began again to
teach by the sea side: and there
was gathered unto him a great
3.'; yap

Bee. Omitted
Alford.

r. 0. Green,

by Lach.,

Tisch.,

283

multitude, so that he entered

into a ship, and sat in the sea;
and the whole multitude was by
the sea on the land. And he
taught them many things by
parables, and said unto them in
his doctrine, 'Hearken;
Behold, there went out a sower to
sow: 'and it came to pass, as
he sowed, some fell by the wa
side, and the fowls [of the air
came and devoured it up. 'An
some fell on stony ground, where

4 Toii ovpvoii Ree. Omitted by Lach.,

Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

In the third place, it was demonstrated by his discuseiou

with the
Jerusalem
scribes, that the powel' hy
which he cast out demons, and, a
fortiori, the power by which his
other miracles
were wrought,
WIiS
DOt, as thev alleged,
satanic,
but
ARGtnlENT OF SECTION 3.
divine.
Fi~ally, his answer to tb~
people, in reference
to the call of
There are three facts set forth in
his mother and his brothers,
is in
the preoeding section, which have
perfect keeping
with the ,haraetcr
an irn portant 'bearing on the claims
and position which the text 1l8Hi!!Jls
of Jesus.
The first IS the fact thut
him.
It is a singular
iufutunti..n
he had authority
to forgive sins.
which has led the Human Catholic
Thi8 was demonstrated
in the case
Church to attribute
to Jesus even in
of the paralytic
(ii. 1-12), and it is
heaven, a subserviency
to his mother
the one fact which proves Jesus
which he so expressly
repudiated
adapted to the highest demands
of
hu mun salvation.
Sins being for- while on earth.
ginn, all other blessings
follow as
a consequence,
SECTIO~ IV.
I n the second place, it is shown
thnt hie conduct
as a man was irA SERIES OF PARABLES, IV. 1-34.
reproachable.
He was attacked
in Pnruble of the Sower, 1-9' \I'I,y he
~pokp
In Pnrubles
, 10-1;); I'nl'ahle ot
rrfercnce
to the company
he kept
th" Rower l-lx p la lned. \4-20; i'arahle
(ii.
13-17); in reference
to his
of t he Cn nd le. 21-2',; Parublof the
R~el\, 2ti-~V; Parable of t he ~lllsIR,rn
neglect of fasting (ii. 18-22); and
8~N\, ~\l-:12;Uthel' Paraules Hot Rein reference
to Sabbath-keeping
corded, 33. 84.
(ii. 2:l-28; iii. 1-8); but in
th080 matters
he -vindicated hi.q conduct, lind put his accusers to 8h~lIle. Parable
the Sourer, iv. 1-9.
That they I~ade no more serious I (Matt. xiii. 1-9; Luke viii. 4-10 )
attacks on Illd conduct, proves that,
.
.
they could not, and that in morals
Mark ~ rep.ort of ~hls parable ,Is
be was irreproachable.
a1rQo~t ,dA'()t\(',u With Matthew 8.
expected
him to go, and they may
have thought
that it was his duty
to go.
33-35. For Temo.rks on h is reply,
see tho notes on Matthew xii, 48-50.

an

or

~84

[iv. 6-18.'

MARK.

it had not much earth: and irn- Iparable: parables I. 11 And he

mediately it sprang up, because said [unto them], lYnto you I it is
it had no depth of earth: but given to know: 00s been granted 1
when the sun was up, it was the mystery of the kingdom of
scorched; and because it had no God: but unto them that are
root, it withered away. ' And without, all these things are
some fell among thorns, and the done in parables: It that seeing
thorns grew up, and choked it, they may see, and not perceive;
and it yielded no fruit. 8 And I and hearing they may hear, and
other fell on good ground, not understand; lest at any time
and did yield fruit that sprang they should be converted, and
up and increased; and brought [their sins: itl should be forforth, I some: as much as I thirty, given them.
11 And
he said
and I some: as much as I sixty, unto them, Know ye not this
and I some: as much as 1 an hun- parable? and how then will ye
dred. 8 Am! he said unto them, know all parables?
He that hath ears to hear, let
10 riJy fro.po.{30AJjIl
Rec, T(lf frapa.fjoA4.,
him hear.
Green, Alford, 'I'regelles.
l T. B.
10 And
when he was alone, Tisch'
11 au~o"
Rec. Omitted by Lacn. Tisch.,
they that were about him with T. S. Green, Tregelles.
11 yv';'va, Rec. Omitted bv Lacn., Til!ch.,
the twelve asked of him the T. B. Green, Alford, Tregelles, N, A, B, C,
8 'v Reo. .i., Tisch.,
gelles, N, B, c, ~, etc.

T. 8. Green,

Tre-

K, L,

etc.

12 T4 "l'ap~~l'aTa Reo.
Omitted
'I'iseh., T. 8. Green, Alford, Tregellc8.

by

differing only in verbiage, and only llevers were without the circle of
slightly in this. For remarks on it, the disciples, and those whom Jesus
was uddressing were within that
see the parallel in Matthew.
circle, whether we regard the disWhy lIe Spoke in Parables, 10--13. ciples as organized into a church,
(Matt. xiii. 10-17.)
or as still in an unorganized condition.
The argument, therefore,
10. when he was alone.-Comcontains an undue assumption.
pare the note on verse 34 below.
12. that seeing they may see.
11, to them that are without.
-The reason here ,given is so con-Here
Jesus distinguishes his dis- densed by Mark as to render it
ciples from .them that are with- quite obscure,
Matthew's
more
out," showing that there was a elaborate report makes the reason
sense in which the former were clear and satisfactory.
(See notes
within.
Some have argued from on Matt. xiii. 10-17.)
this that the Church must have
13, how then will you know 1
been then in existence, and that -In
this verse, which is peculiar
one class were within and the other to Mark, Jesus administers a mild
without the Church.
This con- rebuke to the disciples for not unelusion would follow, if the terms derstanding the parable, and intiwithout and within in this con- mates that it is easy in comparison
nection could apply to nothing but with some others: .Know l.e not
the Church.
But it is clear that this parable?
How then Will you
the terms may have been used with know all the parables '"
different reference.
The unbe- I

tT.

14-23.]

MARK.

286

"The sower soweth the word. I there are others I which are sown
And these are they by the way' among thorns; such as hear the
side, where the word is sown; word, 18and the cares of this
but when they have heard, Sa' tan world, and the deceitfulness of
cometh immediately, awl taketh riches, and the lusts of other
away the word that II us sown things entering in, choke the
I in their hearts: on Ulellil. 18And word, and it becometh unfruitful.
these are they likewise which are 20 And these are they which are
sown on stonv ground; who, when sown Oilgood ground; such as hear
they have hear.l the word, imrne- the word, and receive it, and bring
diately receive it with gladness; forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some
17 and have 110 root in themselves,
sixty, and some an hundred.
and so endure but for a time:
And he said unto them, Is a
afterward, when atiliction 01' per- candle brought to be put under
secution ariseth for the word's a bushel, or under a bed? and
sake, immediately they are of- not to be set on a candlestick?
fended. 18 And I these are they: For there is nothing hid, II hich
shall not be manifested: neither
15 ill ,.0.;:("
a.tJ'rwlI Rec. i!l(' aVToti~
Ttsch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles, B, I, wag any thing kept secret, but
1:1,28, G\!, ns, 2tIY.
that it should come abroad. 23 If
18 o-v'tOt Her. ciA-Aot Lnch., Tisch., T. 8.
allY man have ears to hear, let
Green, Alford, Tregcl les,
II

l((1pc5ttUf

Parable of th e Sower Explained,

14-20. (~tlttt. xiii, 18-23; Luke
viii. 11-],'>.)
We han' already commented on
the Snvior's explanation of this
parable, in the parallel place in
Matthew; and to this we refer the
reader, remarking only, that the
use of tho siugular instead uf the
plural in speaking of the parties
represented, and a Hlip;htlydifferent
arrangement of the matter, constitute the differences
between the
two reports,
These differences, oceurr irur as thpy do in almost every
synoptical pnssage in the four gospels, show that in reporting the
speeches of the Savior the apostles
were not always restricted to his
exact language, but were led by the
Spirit to reproduce his words only
to the extent necessary for a correct
report of his thoughts.
Parable of the Candle, 21-2.5.
(Luke viii. 16-18.)

21. Is a candle brought.-

This parable, like the preceding

(me of thc sower, treats of the
means of profiting by the word of
God. The word, there represented
by the Reed sown, is here represented by the lighted lamp ().VZ.Of).
AA a lamp is brought into a room
not to lJe covered up, but to be
placed on the lampstand,
so the
word of God, intended for the enliuhtcnrne nt of men, is not to be
left in obscnritv, but to he held up
before the worfd.
22. nothing hid.-Nothing in
the counsel and purpo~e of God
concern imr man. To Borne extent
the"o had hitherto been hid and
kept secret, bllt now all that had
been hid was to be made manifest,
and all that had been kept secret
was to come abroad.
23. let him hear.-This admonition is appropriate,
Dropping
the figure of the lamp, and returnin~ to the word which it represented, those who have ears to hear
are advised to hear it. If it WIUI

286

MARK.

him hear. "And he said unto

t hem, Take heed what ye hear:
with what measure ye mete, it
shall be measured to you: and
unto you [that hear] shall more
be given. 26 For he that hath,
to him shall he given: and he
that hath not, from him shall be
taken even that which he hath.
se And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should

[iv.24-29.

cast seed into the ground; " and

should sleep, and rise night and
day, and the seed should spring
and grow ue, he knoweth not
how. ss (For J the earth brmgeth
forth fruit of herself; first the
blade, then the ear, after that
the full corn in the ear. - But
when the fruit is brought forth,
immediately he putteth in the
sickle, because the harvest i8
come.

24 Toi( Q.I(OlJOlJO'"W Ree. Omitted by Lach.,

Tisch, T S. Green Alll>r<l, Tregellc", ~,
11, c. n, 0, L. ~. etc . Olll Latrn , Vulgate.
}Ethiopk. etc,

28 yap Rtc. Omitted by Lach., TlBch.

T. S, Green, Alford, Trvgelles.

--------

to make munifest what had hitherto -'fo some extent he knoweth how;
been hidden, and to hring abroad it is by the process described in
what had hitherto becn kept secret the next verse: "The earth bringin the mind of God, it was becorn- eth forth fruit of herself; first the
iug in every man who had ears, to blade, then the ear, after that the
use them in hearing it. ~othing full corn in the ear." lIe lllay know
that ever struck the human ear is 'still further, that it grows by the
so worthy of being heard us the chemical action of li~ht, warmth,
word of God.
and moisture; but stil] there is a
24. Take heed what ye hear. purt of the process that he does not
-They
were inclined, like our- know.
selves, to hear only so much as was
28, 29. But when the fruit.agreecble to their feelings and pre- Although the sower knows not how
conceived notions: hence this ad- the seed grows, and remuius not to
monition.
see its growth, still it grows. From
with what measure you mete. Bowing time till harvest the man
-This was a proverbial expression, has nothing to do: IlO intermediate
and applies to our dealings with cultivation ISrequired. This is true
God as well as to our dealings with of the "corn" (wheat and barley)
one another.
If we give him good referred to, though not of our Inmeasure by takinz heed to heur all dian corn.
that he says, we [lave the promise
The kingdom of heaven is like
of good measure from him: "'1'0 this (verse ~6), in that the seed of
you that hear shall more be given." the kingdom, which is the word of
25. For he that hath.-This
UIIlI, when sown in a commuuity,
proverb is quoted in a different even though the Bower go awa, and
connection from that which it h,LS neglect it, will spring up of Itself
in the parallel part of Matthew, and bear fruit, and will be ready
bei ng here applied especially to at a future day for the harvest.
the disciples. and there to the un- This
is often
exemplified
in
believers.
The meaning, however, the labors
of the
evangelist.
is the same in both instances.' He preaches
in a community
(Cornp. Matt. xiii, 12.)
faithfully, and apparently without
auccess, for a length of time, and
Parable of the Seed, 26-29.
then, after a lapse of months or
26, 27. he knoweth not how. years, returns to the lllUue place,

iv. 80--34.1
And

l\IARK.

he said,

I Whereunto:

287

and becometh greater

than all

How I shall we liken the kingdom herbs, and shooteth out great

of God? or I with what comparison shall we compare it: under

what semblance are we to set it I?
II It
is like a grain of mustard
seed, which, when it is sown in
the earth, is less than all the
seeds that be in the earth: 12 but
when it is sown, it groweth up,
so

TU"

Alford,

b,c

80

Rt!.c. 'lJ'Wf Tisch., T. S. Green,

Tregelles,
N, B, C, L. J., etc.,
0''1 'lJ'4pa.f$oAn

Rec
.11
n .
, a,\JT7J"Ttsch., T. B. Green,
II, C, L. A, etc.

fl'a.pa.{3..iA.wp..f!1'
a.pa.!loA'1 'W~EII

Alfunl,

o:VTlJV

Lach.,
Tregelles, N,

and with comparatively little exertion re!lp~ an abundant harvest.

The parable teaches, what observetion abundantly
confirms, that such
an adaptation exists between the
human soul and the word of God,
that when the latter is once implanted a future harvest will usually
he the result.

branches; so that the fowls of

air may lodge under the
shadow of it.
as And with many such para.
bles spake he the word unta
them, as they were able to hear
it.
,. But - without a parable
spake he not unto them: and
II' hen
they were alone, he expounded all things to his [own)
disciples.

I the

84 TO~' "'Cle"Ta.t~ a.VTOV

Ru. TOtf
1'(l9~Ta'< Ttsch., T. S. Green, Alford,
C, L, 4.

,aLO',
It, B,

nates precisely the same object of

thought

of musthe note on Matt. x iii

31, 32. like a grain

tard.-See
31, 3:.!

Other Parables not Recorded, 33,

34. (Matt. xiii, 34, 35.)

33. with many such.-Mattheu

Parable of the Mustard Seed, 30- j!;iveRseveral more, not reported hy
Mark (see Matt xiii, 24-50), but
32. (Matt. xiii, 31,32.)
not so many as this expression indrBesides all gIven by both
30. Whereunto shall we liken. cates
-~t"rk quotes Jesus as introduc- writers, many -nch were uttered,
,nl/: this parable with questions im- "us thev were able to hear"
plyin~ that he had well-nigh ex34. without a parable spake
is, from the time
hausted appropriate
comparisons: he not.-That
To what shall we liken the king- when he touk his seat on the ship
dom of heaven, and with what (verse I), until he dismissed the
com parison shall we com pare it?" multitude in the evening and departed (verses 35, 36).
The three parables just preceding
are not sufficient to account for
when they were alona=-acthese questions, but we must BUp- cordmg to this verse all the exposi
pose that IL considerable number tions of the purables which were
of those referred to in verse 33, found necessary, were given after
below, had been introduced before the multitude had been dismissed;
con,P'l uently, w e are to under-nand
this
the kingdom of God.-This
ex- that the explanation of the p"r"bh
pressIOn is used habitually by Mark of the sower, though reported ir
and Luke whnra Matthew uses the connection with the parable itself
equivalent
expression, "kingdom was actually given after the day"
(Comp Matt
of heaven."
The latter is the more teaching, was ended
indefinite of the two, but desig- xiii. 36.)

MARK.

288

16 And
the same day, when
the even II as come, he s.uth unto
them, Let us p.tS!! 0\ er uuto the
other side
And II hen they
had bent allay the multitude,
thlY took hun ev en as he 'I as III
the ship
And there were also

ARGUMENT

01' t'lbcTION

t\["RIES OF MIRACLES,

Stilling

with him other little ships.

And there arose a great storm
of wmd, and the waves beat into
the ship, so that It was now full.
sa And he was in the hmder part
ot the ship, asleep on a pillow :
and they awake him, and say
parnbles

V
[V 3'j-V 41

tile l empest , Iv J,-,.41. A J p

g iou of !lerno,,'
LH,1 Out
v I 21J,
Tile ltuler'
1>a'1I,l1lel .lUU til" BlOI)("
l ue, ll--4J

Stlllmg
(\latt
25 )

the Tem-pest, IV 3')-41

Vll\ 18-27, Luke \ HI 22-

35 the same day.-The

S line
day III wluch he had been tP IduIl,\(
III p u-ubles
.Another strikIng
ference
between
Mark s urr Ln)!;6ment nnd that of Matthew IS appal"IDt here
WhIle Mark follows the

a.r

3~3S.

IT

In the parables
of this section
especially In those of the sower the
seed and the must ird seed the pro I
phetic p<mer of .l e-us IS dearly
exhihrted
Without
superhuman
for~81i!ht he could not huv e so accu
r Ltdv trolled out tho manner
III
II Illcil
different
cl issos
of men
throu~h()ut
all time would d>al II ith
th word of God !LS he descnbes
It
III the purable
of the sower
nor
could he have known
1Tl advuncs
of ex per nnent that the sei.d of the
klll~d()m would p:row from Its plantIn!! until the time for harvest
as
d escrrbr d In the next par.ihle , nor
th it Its declared
1Tl the third, the
klnp:dom would ever att till to the
prOdJ,\(lOuB growth which our eyes
have wrtnes--ed
Ilt~ UIVIDlty IS
'ttl~ted
hy hrs unf ulmz fOf(slght
into the distant fut.n e

SECTIO~

[IV.

with the 8tllltng of the

tempest
and mforms UB th'l.t It 00
curred on the everunn of the same
day ,\1 ttthell gives the stillIng of
the tcnipr.st lilllong the nnr Ldes of
hiS eighth (h iptcr und reserves the
p irables to 1m thu tcenth chapter
\1 itthc w also mtroduces
III conneotron With tho 11111
.u.le In question,
the convpr'ltlOn
II ith
the scr ibe \
and the (lIsup\e
ubout gOing With
him (vin 11l-22) which \LlrkoTUIts
and w lllch Luke mentions
In an
entrrely different counection
(Luke
IX 57-62)
36 even as he was -The
ship
on II hich Jesus had been sitting
durrn.; the day \,.1'8 doubtl's8
the
same that he had pre\ iously ordered
to he ID waitmg
for hun (Ill Il),
consequently
In that
ship
they
started With hill! to cross the lake
other
httle ShIPS -Mark
men
tions the prc,enc8
of
other little
Bllll's,'
to show that there
were
other w rmc-ses
of tho storm and
It, nur llulou. cess-mon bcsrdes the
11TIIIlPdlue (,I)mp rruun- of .Iesus
37, 38 on a pillow -~ote
the
mmutencss of \1 Irk S doscripuon
"'1 th
It
runst- r h uid
he
selects
those tuuches III tl, dl t.uls of his
PI(,tUI e w Inch IlDp Irt the hvehcst
com el,twn
of the c ntrre
scene
In the lundcr part of the ship"
awl
avleep on II pillow"
pamt to
perfection the c ihu repose of Jesus
\\ lu le the tempest
was r tglllg and
the vessel was hlhng With water
carest
thou
not -ThiS
18 an
addrtion
to their
exclntnatron
61
quoted by Matthew
Dot a different
versron of It
Puttmg the two to

MARK.
him, Master, carest thou
not that we perish? It And he
arose, and rebuked the wind,
and said unto the sea, Peace, be
still. And the wind ceased, and
there was a great calm. '" And
he said unto them, Why are ye
[so fearful? how is it that ye
have: fearful1 have ye yet I no
faith?
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is
40 oCiT'W;

trW( oiue Bee,

OV1'rCit

Lach.,

T. 8.

this, that even the wind and the

sea obey him?
V. I And they came over unto
the other side of the sea, into
the country of the I Gad'arenes :
Ger'Il8e7le8I. 'And when he W8I
come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the
tombs a man with an unclean
spirit, I who had his dwelling
among the tombs; and no man
could bind him, no, not with

Green. Tregelles, N, B, D, 1., ~, etc., Old

1 r"a"p~y'" &c.
r,I'''''''''''
Latin, Vulgate, Coptic.
Tisch., T. 8. Green, TregeUea.

gether, we have the hurried and

confused exclamation, "Master, carest thou not that we perish? Lord,
save U8 j we are perishing." Strangely forgetful that he was in the same
danger with themselves, they re!.(ttrded his calm slumber as proof
of indifference in regard to them.
39-41,-On
this part of the incident, see the notes on Matt. viii.
26,21.
A Legion of Demon! Cast Out, v.
1-20. (Matt. viii. 28-34; Luke
viii. 26-40.)
1. Gadarenes. - Both Gadarenes" and" Gerasenes " are found
in the manuscripts, but the rreference is given (see the critica note)
to the latter. The same is true of
the parallel in Luke.
Matthew
employs neither of these names,
but calls the place" the country of
the Gergesenes."
The reason of
the difference is not certainly
known; but the conjecture of Alford,
that the country of the Gergesenes
was a. part of the country of the
Gerasenee, Matthew using the more
specific designation, and Mark and
Luke the more general one, is
highly {lrobable.
(See Alford on
Matt. Viii. 28.)
The place designated WII8 in the still larger die&riot called Decapolie.

25

289

u.... ..

2. immediately
there met him.
-The
demoniac did not wait for
Jesus to draw near, but aB soon l1li
he came out of the ship, and while
ho was yet afar off (verse 6), the
demons ran, in the person of their
victim, to meet him and to do homage to him. They probably had
two purposes in this: first, by cunning flattery and fawning to diesunde Jesu8 from casting them out j
and second, to injure his cause by
making it appear that there Willi
friendship between him and themselves. (On the meaning and usage
of the word demon, see the note on
Matt. viii. 16.)
a man. - Matthew says there
were two men.
The one mentioned and described by Mark and
Luke was doubtless the fiercer and
the more notorious of the two.
Intending to speak particularly of
him, and to say nothing about the
other, they use the sin~ular number throughout the account.
(For
examples of a similar usage, see
the note on xi. 2, and the reference.
there given.)
3. among the tombs.-It
may
be that the demons selected the
tombs as a dwelling-place, because
of a preference for 1< place of gloom
and seclusion; or it may be that
their own bodies wljre buried there,

290

~lARK.

chains: 'because that he hadj

been often bound with fetters
an.l chains, and the chains had
been plucked asunder by him,
and the fetters broken in pieces:
neither could any man tame him.
6.And always, night and day,
he was ill the mountains, and in
the tombs, crying, and cutting

[v.~.

himself with stones. But when

he saw Je'sus afar off, he ran
and worshiped him, I and cried
with a loud voice, and said,
'What have I to do with thee,
Je'sus, thou Son of the most
high God? I adjure thee by
God, that thou torment me not.
8 For he said unto him,
Come

is accounted
and that on this uccount they had treme wretcheduess
for in part, no doubt, by the strugI' fondness
for the spot
J twas
spirit to throw
certainly
a verv unnatural
nnd un- gle of the natural
jesirable
d wollinu-place
for
the off the burden of the foreign spirits
which possessed
it, and in part by
man e~feci,tlly
,t~ he was a Jew,
the unspeakable
misery
of these
educateto r{'~.tl'd a buryingCertain
ground u~ un unclean
place
Mat- foreign spirit themselves.
it is that a wretchedness comparathew udds th.it "no man might
pails that wuy"
Phtt
viii :.!~)-ble on Iy to that of wicked spirits
possessed
the unfortme.uu n z, that the demoniac
was in perdition,
d.l!l";(l (Jus
unate man, and made hideous both
4. fetters broken in pieces.- the night and the day on that lonely
Let the sinner
listen
Tho fH't th'lt "no man could bind mountain
to that cry, and learn what it is to
him " (th.rt is, effectually ), because
be under the dominion
of Satan
he broke
the ch.rins and fetters
that were put upon him, shows that
6. and worshiped him.-Worshiped
him in attitude
only, by
he wu~ possessed of supernatural
at his feet
(For
strength
The normal strength
of falling prostrate
of this, see above on
the hum an muscles depends I Lrgely the reason
verse 2 )
on the force of will which is brought
to Iw,Lr on them
The multitude
7. cried with a loud voice.In quoting the words of this outcry,
of demons seem to have conccntrnted their combmcd
force of will on Mark omits the question quoted by
"Art thou come to torthe umn's
mu-cle-,
and by this ~{atthew,
and he
means imparted
to him hi~ umaz ing ment us before the time?"
omits, "I adstrpngth
It must h.ive been at adds what Matthew
jure thee hy the living God that
intervals of 'l"ietu,lp that his Friends
torment
us
not"
(Comp.
sue reeded
In binding
him
and thou
Doubtless
both reo
taking
him home,
but when the Matt viii 29)
demons wrlled, he wa thrown into marks were made, and in the order
in which
we have placed
them'
a phrensy,
and, bursting
throu~h
first, "Art thou rome to torment
all restr tlnt~ WU'l driven out again
us before the time?"
and then,
into the mountains
and the tombs
5. crying, and cutting him- without waiting for an answer, "I
self.-I n the st-itement th.it he was adjure thee by the living God that
thou torment me not"
"alway~
night
and d.iy," crying,
and cntting himself with Atones, the
8. For he said unto him.-The
t'lrm "alwuys"
i'l explained
by the fact that J PSllS said, "Come out of
spirit,"
is
e xpresvion
"night
and day " he the man, thou unclean
Ira.s there not merely all the day, given as the reason why the demon
IUt all through the night
His ex- entreated Jesus not to torment him;

f.

9-13.]

MARK.

291

they I besought him saying, Send

us into the swine, that we may
enter into them. IS And )forthwith Je'sus ; he,1 gave them leave.
And the unclean spirits went
out, and entered into the swine:

out of the man, thou unclean

spirit.
I And
he asked him,
What is thy name? And he
answered, saying, My name is
Legion:
for we are many.
10 And
he besought him much
that he would not send them
away out of the country. 11 Now
there was there nigh unto the
mountains a great herd of swine
feeding. 12 And I all the devils:

12 ",ciJ.'Tff; oj, aa.ijA.Ollf!f; Ree, Omitted by

T. 8, Green, A.lf,?ld, '1:regelles, toe. B, C, L,
A, etc" Coptic, If.tlllOPlC,
13 ni6E(a,J~ 0 'I1jC7ovi Rec, Omitted by T.
8. Green, Tregellcs, ~, B, C, L, ~, etc., P
Syrlac, Coptic, Armenian.

and this implies that the command

to come out was given before the
outcry,
The flattery and fawning of the demons, then (see note
on verse 2), had been met by a
prompt command to come out of
the man, and had therefore failed
of its purpose.
It is further evident from the connection between
the comaiaud and the outcry, that
the demon conxidercd it a torment
to be driven out, His position in
the man's pcrscn was a comparative relief from the turment which
he experienced when utterly disembodied,
'
9, What is thy name ~-'fhis
question naturally followed the entreaty of the demon. The case was
80
unusual that Jesus chose to
develop it to the multitude, before
commanding the demon into silence,
The answer, "M1. name is legion,
for we are many,' at once brought
out the fact that not a single do nion,
but a multitude of them, had possession of the man, A le;,;ion was
a division of the Roman army,
composed, when full, of six: thou"and men, hut varying in number,
like the brigades of a modern arml,
accordin~ to losses experienced 1Il
the service.
The alll:lzing fact is
therefore developed in this case,
that some thnu-unds of evil spirits
had crowded into this one unfortunate man.
Their ~tatemeut on
this point is confirmed Ly the fact,
that when they left the man they,

entered into the bodies of two thousand hogs, (Verse 1::1.)

10. lie besought
him.-Even
after developing tho fact that a
legion of evil spirits were speaking, Mark still uses the singu lar
number, doubtless on account of
'the fact that there was but one
voice and one mun through whose
mouth they found utterance,
The
entreaty which they had begun
when first commanded to come uut
of the man, is here continued, but
the for m of the request is, "that 1111
would not send them away out of
the country,"
Luke ha~ it, "that
he would not command them to go
out into the deep" (a.i3vaao~), the
abps,
The abyss, rendered "the
bottomless pit" in Revelations ix.
1,:2, 11, and in other places, was
their proper al.ode. To be expelled
from a man, under ordinary circumstances, was to he driven \.u<:k
into this nljod e, and consequently,
to be sent uway "out of thc country." How they had rnannzcd to
escape from the abyss and ~et into
this man, is one of the unsolved
myster ios ofth0 spirit world, Knowing HO little as we do of that world,
we need not be surprised that wo
know not this,
11-13. he gave them leave.After b~secching Jesus not to send
them away out of the country, the
demons be80\l~ht hun for permission to go into' the swine, showing
that in the bodies of these brutes

[v. 14-17;

292
and the herd ran violently down
a steep place into the sea, ( [they
were] about two thousand;)
and
were choked in the sea.
14 And
they that fed the swine fled, and
told it in the city, and in the
COUll try.
And they went out to
see what it was that was done.
11 And
they come to Je'sus, and

~".a.

13
01 Rec. Omitted
8. Green, Alford, Tregclles.

by Tisch., T.

,,,~e 111m that was possessed with

the devil, ami had the legion,
situng, rand] clothed, and ill his
right mwd: and they were afraid.
1& And
they that saw it told them
how it befell to him that was
possessed with the devil, and also
concerning
the swine.
11 And
they began to pray him to de15nlRec.OmlttedbyLa.ch.,T.8.Green,
Alford, Tregelles.

they hoped to be less wretched than and ran grunting and squealing
in the abyss. That he gave them down the precipice, they concluded
leave, and thus permitted the de- it was time for them to leave.
struction of 80 much property, is an They took to their heels, some fly.
isolated fact in the career of Jesus. ing to the city, and some to the
The only instance approaching it is country, and told every body what \
the blasting of the fig-tree, but it had happened.
A.s a matter of
was a barren tree which cumbered course, tho people "went out to see
the ground.
lIe doubtless justified what it was that was done."
hi mse lf on the ground that the hog
15. sitting,
and
clothed.was an unclean animal according Hitherto the demoniac had not
to the law; that the Jews who worn any clothing (Luke viii. 27),
owned and those who herded them and he had been almost constantly
were eng:tged in an unlawful busi- in motion. Now he is sitting still;
ness; and that the loss of the prop- the~ have ~ut clothes on him which
erty was a righteous retribution for he IS wenrmg quietly; and he is in
their evil conduct.
his right mind. The remark that
the herd
ran.-The
demons he was "in his right mind," imcould not control the hogs as they plies that he had been insane, M
did the man. Phrensied by their he certainly had been: but this depresence, as the man had been, they tracts nothing from the reality of
rushed madly forward, and their demon possession; it only shows
heads bein~ toward the lake, into that the presence of a foreign spirit
it they rushed and were drowned. within a man disturbed, as from the
The death of the swine expelled nature of the case it must, the northe demons, and thus at lust they mal workings of his own spirit.
were forced back into the abyss.
16, 17, to pray him to depart.
14. they that fed the swme.e- -The people were afraid of Jesus
The country was unfenced, and all (verse 15), being filled with awe in
kinds of stock were guarded by the presence of his miraculous
herdsmen.
The swineherds
had power. They knew not how soon
heard the outcry of tf" fierce de- the power which had delivered the
moniac as h- -:111 to meet Jesus, I man and destroyed the demons
and ha~ ..ratched with interest all, might he visited on them for their
iat was done (Matt. viii. 33); hut: many sins, and therefore his preswhen thpy saw that the demoniue , ence was painful to them. The!
had no sooner been quieted than i were somewhat in the condition of
their own hog~ were seized with I guilty Felix when he said to Paul,
'he phrensy whieh had left him. i 'Go thy we.y for this time: when

v. 18-21.]

MARK.

part out of their Coasts. U And

when he was come into the ship,
he that had been possessed with
the devil prayed him that he
might be with him. lQ Howbeit
I Je'sus : hel suffered him not,

298

thy friends, and tell them how

great things the Lord hath done
for thee, and hath had campusI sion 011 thee.
:10 And he departed,
and began to pu blish in Decap' olis
how great things Je'sus had done
buz saith unto him, Gu home to for him: and a11 men dil! marvel.
"And when .Ie'sus was passed
19 'I~<7ov, Ree. Omitted I.>y Tisch., T. S.
.
I.
I I
Green, Alford, Tregelles,
over
again by Slip un to t ie ot ier
_____________
_
II
I

I have a convenient

senson I willi as the demoniac

who made hideous
call for thee i" but unlike the un- ~the mountains
and burial-places
fortunate
Homan
goveruor,
they I about the lake-shore,
und he WWl
subsequently
became more favora- I himself a monument
of the power
1.11 acquainted
with Jesus.
(See I and
compnsaion
which
he provii .11-:H.)
I claimed.
18. that
he might
be with
We leave this most interestmg
him.-Very
different were the feel- i piece of history,
one of the most
ings of the man who had been de- I sug"cstive,
and one of the most
livered from so grent a death.
If' car;;'fully described
of all the inciJesus should leave him he knew not dents recorded by Mark, with a
how soon the legion
of demons
feeling of thankfulness
for the large
llIi~ht again possess him; so, like a I amount of li!.!ht which it throws on
little child who has awakened
from a very obscure subject.
It terrific
dream, and cries for the Th
R I'
D
ht
d Ih
r('~ence
of its mother,
he lJc~s
Bel ill erls
a !llg--43er, (aM7I tt . e
)
t:
.
H b
. I
OO( Y
ssue, 2
.
a. IX.
"SUS tor permI88101l
to
e WIt 1
18 26' L k ... 41 56)
h iiu " Thus it is with everv true
-,
u e VIIl.
.
disciplo : having been deliye;ed
by
21.
when
Jesus
was
passed
J esus from the power 'of Satan, he over. - From
the
south - eastern
knows no safety except in keepill~ I shore of the lake, where the legion
close to the side of his Redeemer.
of demons
was
cast out, Jesus
19, 20.
Go . . . and
te11.~passed oyer "to the other sido ;"
Jesus here departs
from his usual' or, as Matthew
more dcfinitelv
excustom,
and, instead of f()rhiddin~!
presses it, "to his own city," which
this man to tell what had been I was Cuperuuum.
(:\latt.
ix. 1.)
done, commands
him to ~o nnd tell 1 ~latthew fullows his account of this
it. This was becauso he was about
vovuze with that of the healing of the
to depart from that region, leaving I pa'ralytic, the l':t11 of Mnrthr-w, and
01,1; this
one proof of his powcr I the conversation
uhout fasting; and
Ilmong that people,
and avnidi ng states that, "'Vhilc
he spoke these
the possibility
of their /!nthering
thin!!" to them" -that
iR, the things
about him in supercxcited
multi- I about fastin;.!:-" u certain ruler came
tudes,
As the man went pr~ach-' to him,"
etc
()llltt.
ix. 1-18.)
ing, both the p()w('r and the com- i Murk,
having
nlreudy
mentioned
passion of .Iesus were mad" known, : these incidents
in a different conand
the
people
who had heen : ncction (ii. 1-22), omits them here,
frightened
by the former were re- and passes immediately
to the comassured
by the latter.
The man's
ing of the ruler, and, according
to
preaching,
moreover, had the <Treater his usual method,
he ~ive8 UI the
elfact. because he was remembered
name of the ruler-Jairu8.

294

MARK.

side, much people gathered unto

him: and he was nigh unto the
sea.
2t And,
rbehol(I,] there
cometh one uf tl1e rulers of the
synagogue, -Ia'irus by name;
and when he saw him, Ill' fell at
his feet, und besought him
greatly, il'lyillg', My little daughter lieth at the point of death:
I pray thee, come and lay thy
hands on her, that she may be
healed;
and she shall iive.
If And
Je'su8 went with him;
and much people followed him,
and thronged him.
And a
certain woman, which had an
2'1 .So'; Rec. Omitted by TIS(h., T. 8.
Green, Alford, Tregelles.

22. fell at his feet.-This

explains ~latthew'8 statement, that
"he worshiped
him."
He rendered homage to .lesus by falling at
his feot. This wus a lowly act for
a ruler of a synagogue in the presence of the ~{.\n of Nazareth.
But
the ruler was now in trouble, and
trouble often brings iuen to their
senses.
23. My little daughter.-More
exact than Matthew' report, which
simply says, " :\ly daughter."
She
was twelve years of I~e. (Verse 42.)
at the point 01 death.-Matthew reports him as saying, "even
now dead."
platt. ix, 18.) The
two reports are not at all inconsistent, but each writer, as in so IIlILnv
other places, reports a part only of
what was said.
The man made
both reruarks : "My little daughter
is at the point of death.
t-ihe is
even now dead." The latter remark proved not to be strictly true,
but he supposed it was j for he left
her in a dying condition, and she
was dead when they got back to the
house.
25, 26. a. certain woma.n.The I'ondit;n" nf' t."i~ woman, in-.

[v. 22-80.

issue of blood twelve years,

and had suffered many things
of many physicians, and had
spent all that she had, and was
nothing bettered,
but rather
grew worse, n when she had
heard of Je'sus, came in the
pl'e,;s behind, a[l~ touched his
garllleut.
28 Foshe said, If I
mav touch but nis clothes, I
shall he whole. D And straightway the fountain of her blood
was dried up; and she felt in
her body that she was healed of
that plague. ao And Je'sus, immediately knowing in himseh
that virtue had gone out of hill.
turned him about in the pres~
28

eluding the lon~ duration

of her
ufHiction, the vum efforts of many
physioians to heal her, and the fact
that she grew worse ruther than
better, is described, in order to
show that her inetanta'veoua
cure
by Jesus was an unmistakable and
a very surprising miracle.
27-29. If I may touch.-Her
faith in his power is shown by thie
remark which she made to herself,
"If I may touch but his clothes, I
shall be whole."
She seems to
have been led to this conclusion bl,
what she had "heard of Jesus
(verve 27), rather than by what she
had seen : and her ready faith received a rich reward when, upon
touch injr his garment, she felt the
thrill of hea)th and vigor pase
thrtlugh her frame.
30. that virtue had gone out.
- Not till the moment that the
cure was effected did Jesus know
what the woman was doing j and it
seems that the virtue went out
from him without any volition on
his part. The heavenly Father WIUI
observing the woman, and caused
virtue to ~o out from the Son to r&ward her Implicit faith.

v. 31-37.]

MARK.

and said,
\Vho
touched
my
clothes?
II And
his disciples
said unto him, Thou seest the
mulritud th!"Ollging thee, and
snyesr thou, Who touched me ?
12 And
he lookpd round about to
Sl:C her that hud done this thing.
II But
the woman fearing
and
trembling,
knowing
what was
done ill her, earue and fell down
befoi e hi rII, and told him all the
truth.
"An(1 he said unto her,
Daughter,
thy faith hath made
thee whole; go in peace, find be
whole of thy plague.
16 While

31. Thou seest the multitude.

-I t wns Htl'anl!e to the disciples
thut be should u-k, "Who touched
we?"
when the mu ltitud e were
th ronjriru;
him,
and llIany were
t(lll('bin!! him e\'(~ry moment.
'l'hoy
knew not the peculiar touch to
which he referred.
33. fearing and trembling.The manner of Jesus as he demunded," Who touched my clothes?"
to!!l'ther with the well known fact
that the touch of a pcrHon in her
condition rendered
one unclean
(Lev. xv. ]9-2.1), caused her to fear
that she had given a serious offense.
For a moment the joy she felt in recovery was clouded by apprehension In regard to the means which
she had employed; but instead of
running away as with stolen treasure, she huuiblv "fell down before
hi", und tol,j hllll all the truth."
34. faith
hath
made
thee
whole.-The
way in which her
faith had made lier whole is very
apparent, and it illustrates the manner in which faith saves us from
sin. It caused her to force her
way through the crowd until she
could touch the garmt'nt of him
from whom the deliverance was to
tome.
Had she stopped short of
this. her faith would not have made

296

he yet spake, there came from

the ruler
of the synagogue's
house certain
which said, Thy
daughter is dead; why troublest
thou the Master any further?
18IAs SOOIlas Je,u, heard: BId
Jesu, overhearing I the word that
was spoken, he sait h unto the
ruler of the synagogue, Be not
afraid, only believe.
IT And
he
suffered no man to follow him,
36 .;,0..... Flee. Omitted by T 8. Green,

Tref:elJes,

~. B, C. n, L, etc., Vulgate, P.
Armenian,
eta.
36 aJ(ov(Ta~ s. ft(1paKOUCTd~ Tisch., T. B.
Green, Alford, Nt B, L, .1, e.

By riac, Coptic. JEthtoplc,

her whole.
In like manner faith
saves the sinner, not by the mere
fuct that he believes, but by that
which it lends him to do. It brings
him throuuh the pangs of sorrow,
and the dl'(,p resolve of repentance,
to the public confession of Jesus
and IHiptist1l into his name, and
thus, by bringing him in the aJ.>:'
pointed way to Jesus who saves, It
saves him.
35, 36. Be not afraid.- When
the mcssengcra
from the house of
the ruler, which they were still
approaching, announced to him that
hIS daughter was dead, they showed
their despair hy nsking him, "Why
troublest thou the Master' any fur
ther ? " The worst fears of Jairus
were now roalizcd. and he showed
it ill his countenance, if not by
some word 01' action; hu t the reassuring words of J CSU", " Be not
afraid, onlv believe," sustained his
hope. ThfA remark of the Savior
points out the antagonism between
faith and fear. To believe is to be
not afraid; there is no man so fear
le"s Ill! the man of faith.
37. no man to follow him.That is, into the house. The multitude who thronged him, and all
of the twelve except the chosen
three 80 often chosen for special

296

[v. 38-42:

MARK.

eave Pe'ter, and James, ana

John the brother of James.
II And
he cometh to the house
of the ruler of the synagogue,
and seeth the tumult, :1Il(1 them
that wept and wailed greatly.
And when he wus corne in, he
saith unto them, \Vh)' make ye
this ado, and weep'! the damsel
is not dead, but sleepeth. ,oAnd
they laughed him to scorn. But
when he had put them all out,
he taketh the father and the
privile~(>s, were commanded to remain outside
This was to prevent
the house from being overrun by a
curious and excited crowd, and also
to secure the fullest opportunity
for the chosen witnesses to see
cleady what was done.
3S, 39. Why make ye this
ado.-The
gu,h of sorrow which
followed the last breath of tho little
sufferer was now filling the house,
and the confusion was unsuited to
the calm and solemn act which
Jesus was about to perform; hence
his rebuke of those that" wept and
wailed," and his attempt to quiet
them by the assertion, "The damsel is not dead, but sleepoth." This
last remark was justifiable because
he intended to turn this death into
a momentary sleep.
(Comp. note
Oil ~[att ix. 24.)
40, put them all out.-Out
of
the house. As they" laughed him
to -corn," or, more properly, ridicuh-d him, for they were in no
1Ill)mlfnr Iau~hing, he could secure
the quiet which he desired onlv by
reruovi ng them from the h,;use.
When thus removed, it is probable
that their curiosity so far overcame
their grief, that they waited silently
to Bee what would be done.
he taketh
the father - .Iust
live persons were permitted to go
witb him into the rooui where the

mother of the damsel, and them

that were with him, and entereth
in where the damsel was [lying].
'1 And he took the damsel by the
hand, and said unto her, Talitha
cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee,
arise.
And straightway the
damsel arose, and walked; for
she was of the age of twelve
years.
And they were aston-

40 4V 'I-'.vov R~. Omitted

T. S. Green, Alford, 'I'regelles,

by Tisch

dead lay-the father and mother of

the child, and the three chosen disciples. This was to guard against
misconceptions
and false reports.
If the room had been crowded
with an excited mass of men and
women, only a few could have seen
clearly what was done, or could
have heard distinctly what wns
said; and, a~ a consequence, many
incorrect stories might have jl;one
abroad. Hut with only five besides
himself, all could stand about the
bed in full view of the damsel, all
confusion was avoided, and a correct report from the lips of each
one present was secured.
41, 42. with a great astonishment.- When the ehild was seen
alive and well, walking and eating,
the derision of the mourners and
the incredulity of the measengers
were turned
into astonishment.
The astonishment was ~reat in proportion to the previous ineredulity,
and to the novelty of the event Itself; for this was the first person
whom .lesus had raised from the
dead.
No doubt, at the final resurrection
of all the dead, those
most astonished will be those who
I in life have
laughed to scorn
the promise of Jesus that" all who
: are in their graveR shall hear the
voice of the Son of man, and ahall
come forth."
II

II

v. 43-vi. 1.]

297

~IARK.

ished with a great astonish- something should be given her

ment. And he charged them to eat.
VI. I And he went out from
straitly that no man should
know it ; and commanded that thence, and came into his own
43. that no man should know
it.-That
is, no man except those
of the multitudo who were present.
It was not to be expected that all, or
even any of them, would be entirely
ailent in reference to the event,
but this charge would have a re8tmining influence, and would prevent much of the popular excitement which might otherwise result.
It is remarkable that we read not
of a single instance in which Je8US was requested to raise the
dead: and the fact mal be uccouutsd for in J,art by this charge of
pr ivuey, in icating thnt he did not
wish to be importuned for this exercise of his power.
something
. . to eat.-IIer
frame had doubtless been wasted
away by sickness, and, though restored to life, was still emaciated.
It was now to be re-invigorated by
natural means, and these were
promptly employed 'by the command of Jesus.
Miraculous aid is
~iven only where it alone can effect
the divine purpose.
ARGUMENT

OF SECTION

whether from the forces of the phl"

ical world, the malice of evil ~piTlts,
the power of disease, or the hand
of death, may he averted at his command, and that they will be in behalf of all who put themselves
under his prutection.
A very marked distinction
i,
observable between Mark's treatment of this argument, and that
adopted by ~latthew.
The latter
presents an array of ten mirucles
without much elaboration of any
one of them; the former selects
four out uf the ten, and devotee
almost as much space to these Il8
Matthew does to the ten. The une
writer depends more on the number
of miracles reported, and the other
on the character of those selected
and un the minuteness with whieh
they are described.
Each mode of
treatment has its advantages, lind
the wisdom of God is displuyed in
giving us Loth,
tlEC1'lO~

5.

The argument of this section is

the same as that of the correspondin~ section in Matthew. (See ~Iatt.
viii. l-ix. 35.)
It proves the divine power of Jesus by showinlS
that he cuuld control by a word
the winds and the waves of the
sea; could direct and compel the
f d
I
m.ovements 0
emo~s; cou d ?y
his touch remove Incurable diS-,
eaR('S; and could instantly raise the
daad, In other words, it proves
the sufficiency of his power to save
to the uttermost all who come to
him, by proving that all the dansere to which we Bre exposed,

VI.

OPINIONS OF MEN, AND MORB MIR'

AOLES, VI. I-VII. 23.
Opinion of till' Nazurenes,
vI. 1-6;
Mlsston of the Twelve, 7-13; Optu ions
of Herod Mud 0[1"'1"', 14-29: Ret urn
01"the A po.[ les and Rush of thp People, :10-:14;Fppdlllg the Five ThouRand, 3>-14; Watk mg 011 thp Water,
45-52; Cures In C7Pllllmml'et, .~56; Up .
po-ut ion of Ph artsees and Hcrlbest
viI. I-I:J; Chrlst's
Law of Uncleanups,.
,

1"1..,.'

1"-~.

0 ..
f tl.lie", v-I
A
pll!101' 0
aZarelltS, VI.
-v.
(Matt. xiii. 54-58' Luke iv.lo-31.)
'

1. went out from thence.-That

I is, frum Cupernnum,

I
1

where the
ruler's daughter had been healed.
(See note on v. 2\') That he went
into his own country"
frOID
CaDernaum, shows that this vi~ii to

29lJ

MARK.

[vi. 2-4..

country; and his disciples follow him, thai even such mighty
him. And when the sabbath works are wrought by his handsl
day was come, he began to teach I Is not this the carpenter, the
in the synagogue:
and lllany SOil of ~Ia'ry, the brother of
heari ng him were astonished, James, and J 0' ses, and of J u'da,
saying, From whence hath this I and Si'mon? and are not his
man these things? and what wis- sisters here with us? And they
dom is this which is given unto were otfeuded at him. But
this event it did not continue,
and
no adequate
reason could have Ill?:
peared
to .loseph's
mind why It
should, especially
IlR the holy angel
had actually bidden him to become
It husband
to Mary, lind to make
her his wife.
2. While the terms brother and
3, 4. the brother of James.sister were sometimes
used in HeWe arc here especiullv confronted
with the quastion whether
the four brew style for more remote relationV(llln~ men, .Iarnes, .lusea, Juda, and ships, it is unquestionably
true that
significance
among
S:illl<lll, eullcd
his brothers,
were their ordinary
writers
was the same lIS
actual brothers
of .lesus and sons Jewish
of ~!:Lry, and whether
the young
with us.
When,
therefore,
these
women called his "sisters"
were terms occur, they must be understood ill their ordinarJ
sense until
actually
his sisters.
The question
proof to the contrary
IS discovered.
hus importance
chiefly on account
their literal
of its bearing on the doctrine of the On him who denies
perpetual
virginity
of Mary i and sense in this case falls the burden
of proof.
this doctrine
is of no consequence
3. The persons
in question
are
at all except as it constitutes
one
mentioned
in connection
of the pillars to support tho idola- invariably
in controus homat;;e raid to ~lary by the with Mary, when mentioned
Roman Uathniics.
The concl-usive
nection with any woman at all.
It
was" his mother and his brothers"
Scripture
evidence
on the subject
who had come to him when he
(and there
is no other
evidence
speech beginworthy of attention),
as it appears to made the remarkable
ning, Who is my mother, and who
my mind, is as follows:
1. It is stated that when the angel
are my bro.t.~ers l " , (Matt. xii. 46In the pas
of the \.ord commanded
Joseph to 48; Mark Ill. 32, 33.)
are
take to himself Mary his wife, he sage before us the Nazarenes
as decrying
.Iesus be"did as the angel of the Lord had represented
bidden him, and took unto him his cause he was the son of Mary, and
wife; and knew her not till she the brother of these four men and
had brought forth a son."
(Matt. i. of these sisters whom they knew.
And airain, when both Mary and
20, 24, 25.)
Here the exceptiunul
are mentioned
the
fact of abstinence
from sexual in- these brothers
tercourse
between the husband and last time in the New Testament,
together;
for,
the wife is mentioned,
and the dura- they are mentioned
the apostlea
in the
tion of it is expresaly limited by the after naming
first chapter
of Acts, Luke adds,
time preceding
the birth of Jesus.
These all continued
with one ~
It is most clearly implied that after
Nazareth

is different from the one

hy Luke i for the latter
(JlTllrred
immedintelv
after
his
d"i"lrturo
from Judea" into Galilee,
IUI;\ before
he took lip his abode
in Capcrnaum.
(~ee Luke iv, 1416,31.)

m.-ntioned

no

5.J

MARK.

299

Je'sus said unto them, A prophet I Own kin, and in his own house.
IS not without
honor, but in 5 And he could there do no
his own country, and among his mighty work, save that he laid
cord in prayer and supplication,
with the women and Mary the
mother of Je8uB, and with his
brothers."
(Acts i. 14.)
These evidences appear sufficient
to settle the question beyond all
doubt or cavil ; hut some objections
have been urged aglLinst their conelusiveness, and two of these we
will consider hriefly :
I. There was a Mary who WIIS
" mother of .lumos and Joses " (Matt.
xxvii. 56 l, who is supposed to have
been the wife of Alpheus, because
he was the father of James and
Judas (Luke vi. 15, 16); and who
WIlS, ac('ording to a douhtful interpretation of John xix. :,!;j, 0. sister
of the Vir~in Mary. Now, if this
suppoaition is correct, Jesus had
th~ee cousins with the slime names
as three of the men who ure called
his bruthors, viz., James, Joses, and
Juda or .ludas. But the supposition
has no proof in its. favor whatever,
and it depends on the highly improbable assumption that the two Marys
were aisters. And even if it is correct, it proves nothing in point, for
the two sisters might each have had
three aons with the same names,
and this is the more likely to have
been the ease if their own names
were the same. Indeed, all three
of the names, James, Joees, and
Judns, were very common in .Jewish
families.
But It second, and fatal objection
to 'his supposition is the fact, that
th~ James and the Judas who were
sons of Alpheus were apostles
(Luke vi. 15, 16), whereas the persons culled "the brothers of the
LJrd" were unbelievers after the
call of the apostles (John vii. 5),
and they are uniformly mentioned
in the later history lUIdistinct from

the apostles. (See Acts i. 14, where

" his brothers" are mentioned after
the names of all the apostles; and
I Cor. ix, 5, where Paul aska the
question, "Have we not power to
lead about 0. sister. a wife, lUIwell lUI
the other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?")
Finally, as is well remarked by
the writer on this Question in
Smith's Dictionary (Art. Brother),
"It is quite unuecountable
that
these 'brethren
of the Lord,' if
they were only his cousins, should
be always mentioned in conjunction
with the Vir~in ~lrtry, and never
with their own mother Marv, who
was both alive and in constant attendance on our Lord."
2. Another supposition has been,
thut these brothers
were sons
of Joseph by a former marriage,
and really the step-brothers
of
Jesus. But this suppoaition hlUl
not 0. shadow of support in the
Scripture narrative, and bears the
evident mark of having been invented to save the doctrine of Mary'.
perpetual virginity.
We conclude that there is DO
reason for 0. serious doubt that
Mary wo.s the mother of four son,
besides Jesus, and of not less than
two daughters.
For other reflections on the incident recorded in these verses, see
the notes on Matthew xiii. 54-57.
5. no mighty work.-Matthew
says, "not many mi~hty works;"
and Mark, "no mighty work, save
that he laid his hands upon a few
sick folk and healed them." They
n~ree that a few were healed, and
Matthew gives the reason why the
number W/U! so smo.lI-" because of
their unbelief." The statement that
"he could do there no mi,hty

300

MARK.

[vi. 6-12.

his hands upon a few sick folk,

healed
them.
e And he
marveled
because of their unbelief.
And he went round
about the villages, teaching.
T And
he called unto him the
twelve, and began to send them
forth by two and two; and gave
them power over unclean spirits ;
8 a nil commanded
them that they
should take nothing
for their
journey,
save a staff only; DO
scrip, 110 bread, 110 mOlley in
their purse: U but be shod with
sandals;
and not put on two
coats.
10 And he said unto them,
In what place soever ye enter

into an house, there abide till ye

depart from that place.
11 And
I whosoever:
whafJ3QeV(JT
place I
shall not receive you, nor hero
you, when ye depart
thence,
shake ott" the dust under your
feet for a testimony agaiu"t them.
[Verily I say unto YOII, It shall
he more tolerable for Sorl'om uud
Gamor'rha
in the day of judgment, than for that city.]
"And
they went out, and preached

work." etc., does not mean that it

was physically impossible; for the
same power which healed a few
could have healed more; but he
could not do more because it was
improper.
When he had wrought
a number of miracles without shaking the unbelief of the people,
others would have had even less
effect, and would have heen worse
than useless; to work them, therefore, would have been an improper
expenditure
of time and power.
6. he marveled.-)latthew
says
that Jesus marveled at the great
faith of the centurion, and now we
Bee that he marvels at the utter unbelief of the Nazarencs.
(Comp.
note on Matt. viii. 10.) The faith
which astonished him was that of a
Gentile stranger, and the unbelief
WM that of bis own .Jewish friends
and former neighbors.
Keither
event was in itself more astonishill~ than the contrast between them.
We may remark in passin" that if
the faith of the centurion and the unbelief of the Nazarenes had been
the result of an eternal decree,
Jesus could not have been astonished
at either.

First Mission of the Twelve, 7-13.

(Matt. ix. 35-x:. 42; Lev. ix:. 1-6.)

and

11 OITOI. 0." loLl) 5t'EWl'TQ.l Ree. Of 0.. T01l'Ol

JJo~
o't~Ta, 'I'Isch., T. H. Green. Alford, Tregetles, ~, B, L, ~, erc., ('olltic.
11 a,u.tJl'
lKflVn
Rec.
Omitted
by
Tisch., '1'. S. Green. Alford. Tregulles, N,
B, C, D, L, 0)..17,28, b, c, etc., Vulgate, Ar

menian, etc.

7. the twelve.-The
twelve are
mentioned in this familiar style
because Mark had previously given
their names and an account of their
selection.
pI ark iii. 13-1\1.)
two by two.-Mark
alone mentions the fact that the twelve were
sent out two by two; but Luke
mentions the same circumstance in
regard to the seventy.
over unclean
spirits.-T
n hi,
extreme brevity, Mark mentions
here only one of the mi .nculous
powers imparted to the twelve, but
he mentions below, at verse 13, the
fact of their healing the sick.
8-11.-0n
the directions given
in these verses, see the notes on
:Matt. x. 9-15.
12. went out and preached.Omitting the long speech of instruotion and prophecy which .J<'~U8 at
this time addressed to the twelve
Piatt. x. 16-42), Mark states what
Matthew omits-the
manner
in
which th!>y executed their commiesion. They" preached that mer.
should repent."
This single duty.
enforced by the solemn fact th&l

vi. 13-20.]

MARK.

that men should repent. II And

they cast out many devils, and
anointed with oil many that
were sick, and healed them.
U And
king Her'od heard of
him; (fur his name was spread
abroad :) and he said, ThatJohn
the Baptist was risen from the
dead, and therefore
mighty
works do shew forth themselves
in him. 16 Others said, That it is
ElI'lIB. And others said, IThat
it is a prophet, or as one of the
prophets: Tua: it W(M a prophet
1M one of the prophets I.
18 But
when Her'od heard thereof, he
15 rrpo4>71'"Jf
ICTT'''';' W( ,tf T'4V trp04"'ITWV
Rec
",poq,~'"1< w< ,1< T "p, Tisch,
1. S
Green, Alford, Tregelles.

the kingdom of heaven was at hand

(Matt x 7), constituted the substance of their earnest and simple
apreal to their Jewish brethren

3. anointed with

oil.-The

anointing of the sick with oil was

not expected to contribute to the
cure, for, apart from its inadequacy
1\.8 a remedy,
it could not, in the
nature of the case, contribute to a
miraculous cure
But the Jews
were in the habit of anointing their
hair and their faces every day, and
especially when they went out
among their fellows
This anointin/! was omitted when they were
sick, and when they fasted
(See
2 flam xii 20, Matt vi 16, 17)
When an apostle stood over a sick
man to heal him by a touch and a
word, he was about to send him
out of his sick chamber, and just
before the word was spoken the oil
was applied
It meant no more
~han that the sick man was from
that moment to he confined to his
-hamber no lonp:er
(Courp
Jas
I' 14)
This practice is the breadth
of the heavens apart from the Rom"'It tlrMoCtic8 of extreme
unction,

801

said, 1 It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the

dead: John whom I beheaded, he
is risen I. 17 For Her' od himself
had sent forth and laid hold
upon John, and bound him in
prison for Hero'dias' sake, his
brother Phil'ip's wife: for he had
married her. 18 For John had
said unto Her'od, It is not lawful
for thee to have thy brother's
wife. IUTherefore Hero'dias had
a quarrel against him, and would
have killed him; but she could
not: 00 for Her' od feared John,
16

fOYW o.'ft'flCt'~dA.tc7(1 'IwClvVlJII,

Q.1iTb~ ""(IPS.,, iK vnpwv Rec

"Ov

icrnv

0.# I
Alford
I

O~1'Oi

'1YfPS." Tisch ,TS

O~T6t

01' e.
Green,

which is a pretended imitation of

it This was the anointmg of a
man who was about to be cured,
that, of a man who was given up
to die
this was pre{lllratory to
going forth once more into the enjoyments of life, that, to the passage of the departing soul through
the tires of purgatory
A fair
specimen, this, of the manner in
which the Scriptures are wrested
by the Mother of harlots
Opinions of Herod and Others,
14-29
(Matt xiv 1-12, Luke
ix 7-9)

14. And king Herod heard.-

For an account of Herod and the

cause of his opinion, see the note
on Matt xiv 1, 2
15. Others said.-Mark
hera
introduces the opinions which lire
mentioned by Matthew as part of
the conversation at Creserea Philippi
(Matt xvi 14) They occur
in a natural connection in each
place

17, 18. laid hold upon lohn.-

See notes on Matt xiv 3, 4

19, 20. Herod feared lohn.-

~lARK.

302

[vi. 21-21 .

knowing that he was a just man

an holy, and observed him;
and when he heard him, he did
lllallY things,
and heard
him
gladly.
21 And
when a convenient day was come, that Her'od
on his birthday
made a supper
to his lords, high captains, and
chief estates of Gal'ilee;
"and
when the daughter of the said
Hero'dias carne in, and danced,
and pleased Her'od and them
that snt with him, the king: she
pleasol Her' od a/1I1 apA the
kingl said unto the damsel, Ask
of me whatsoever
thou wilt,
and I will give it thee.
23 And

he aware unto her, 'Vhatsoevsr

thou shalt ask of me, I will give
it thee, unto the half of my
kingdom.
"And she went forth,
and said unto her mother, 'Vhat
shall I ask?
And she said, The
head of John the Baptist.
~And
she came in straightway
with
haste unto the king, and asked,
saying, I will that thou give me
by and by in a charger the head
of John
the Baptist.
28 AmI
the king was exceeding
snn'Y j
yet for his oath's sake, and for
their sakes which sat with him,
he would not reject her.
., And
immediately
the king sent an
executioner,
and commanded his
22 lUll. apl!!1QU17i 7~ 'Upw5n 1(0.1. TOti o-vvc"n.J(~'!-l'JlOt),
0 Ellen-Jot-v;
Ere.
~pecre
head to be brought:
and he
'H Ie. T. cr. 0 Ol!
t!17ff 'I'Isch.,
T. S.
went and beheaded him ill the
Green, Alford, 'I'regclle s,

RIHl

,i1TtJl

T.

fj(J.(J"AfJt~

\fark's
account
is more creditable
to Herod than Matthew's,
stating
more fully the views and motives
bv which
he was actuated.
It
6~cm8 from this account, that after
John ud m inistered
the rebuke conc('rning
the adultery
in which
Herod and Herod ins were living,
.he latter"
would have killed him,
but she could not."
Herod, still
fearing John, regarding him as a just
and holy man, and actually observirur many things which .Iohn taught,
refu,ed to gratify his wife'~ clamor
for revenge.
The
statement
of
~Iatthew
that Herod "would
have
pllt him to death," but "he feared
the multitude"
platt.
xiv, 5), IIlU,t
be r"fcrrcd
to the later period "I'
tlre im prisonrnent,
when the importunitieof Herodias
had b('~un to
prevai l with him; and they introduce
an additional
restraining
influence
which atrertclJ him all the time, the
fear of the multitude.
~L\ny f\ har-j
dened sinner maintains,
like Herod,
a revo re nce for men of God, and vet,
like him, they go on to perdition,

21. a convenient day.-A day

convenient
for the malicious
purposc of Herodias.
It i~ not ueces8ary to infer
with
Alfhrd,
that
Herod ius anticipated
the day, and
planned the procedure,
though this
IS possi hle.
1t is far more probable that she merely found the day
convenient
as its events transpired,
and had suflicient quickness
of wit
to take admTltage of the opportu
nities which it afforded.
made a supper.o-Mark
is mort
specilk
than ~btthcw
in regard tc
the character
of the cntertu inment
and the company who were I'rl~Pllt.
"Lol'll~" high raptai!ls,
aT,,1 chief
estates,
are eXl'l'e'RlOn~ taken by
our tmnslatorl<
from the hl'mldry
of GI"Nlt Britain,
aJ\(I would han'
Rounded
strangd
in the ears of
Herod
and the Gnlilcun.
~11'
Green's
rendering,
hi~ nobles nud
cuin munder s, and the chief men
of (hlilee,"
is milch Letter.
22-29.-0n the remainder
of
the paragr.cph,
see the noted on
i )1o.tt. s iv. !i-12.

vi. 28-36.

MARK.

prison, U and brought his head

ill a charger, and gave it to the
damsel: and the damsel gave it
to her mother. >9 And when his
disciples heard of it, they carne
and took up his corpse, and laid
it in a tomb.
10 And
the apostles gathered
themselves together unto Je'sus,
and told him all things, [both]
what they had done, and what
they had taught.
11 And
he
said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place,
and rest awhile: for there were
many coming and going, and
tbey had no leisure so much as
J eat.
a, And they departed
into a desert place by ship privately. as And I the people saw
80 .al Ree. Omitted by Lach., T. S. Green'l
Uford, Tregelles.
3R e-IooJ'atiTotJ~ v1l"a'Y0YTa~ 0;' oXAo, Kai. irrfy
'*""ICTall
aVTbv froAA.oi Rec.
eloav au. ll1r. Ita'

1leturn of the Apostles, and Rus]:

of the People, 30-34. platt. xiv.
13, 14; Luke ix. 10, 11; John
vi. 1-4.)

30, and told him alL-All that

tlley had done and taught on the
first tour which th~y had made
uncler their corn m isaion.
31. 32, and rest awhile.-They
needed rest, and the pressure of
the crowd, so great that" they had
no leisure so much as to eat," made
it impossible to rest where they
were; hence the retirement"
into
a desert place."
33 34. as sheep having no
shepherd.-'l'he
people were inlensely excited. John had been a
shepherd to them for a short time,
but he had now been cruelly murdered. This event, together with
the recent wide -s pread labors of the
apostles, and the vague expectations
oonnected with Jesus, conspired to

303

I them

departing, and many knew

him: many 8aw them departing
arn/, knew them I, and ran afoot
thither out of all cities, and 011twent them, [and came together
unto him].
And [Je'susl,
when he came out, saw much
people, and was moved with
compassion toward them, because
they were as sheep not having a
shepherd: and he began to teach
them many things.
a~ And when the day was now
far spent, his disciples came unto
him, and said, This is a desert
place, and now the time is far
passed: S6send them away, that
they may go into the country
round about, and into the vil-

'rvwuav
oAAo' Laeh., T. S. Green, Alford,
'lregellcs.
33 Kal uuy~A9ov "pb< <1"<6. s. Omitted
by Lach., T. S. Green. Alford, Trell"clle8.
34 (, 'I7jcrov~ Rec. Omitted by Tisch., T.
S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

turn all eyes toward him, but he

was not to be the kind of shepherd they desired. As they rushed
out from every city to the desert
place to which his boat was sui]mg, and" outwe nt " the ship, they
might well he compared to u Bock
of sheep without a shepherd.
began to teach,-lIealin~
and
teachin~ filled up the day until late
in the afternoon, and the manner
in which these labors are treated
by the four evangelists, illustrates
the striking var-iety of their methods as historin ns. Matthew says
that Jesus " healed their sick," but
he says noth ing of teachiug (Matt.
xiv. 14); ~lark says, "he Legan to
teach them many things," but he
says nothing of the ht':tling; Luke
mentions Loth (Luke ix. 11); while
John says nothmg of either (John
vi. 3-5).

30~

[vi. 87~

MARK.

lages, ant I huy themsel ves I bread:

for they have nothing to eat:
someihuu; to eat I. IT He answered

and by fifties. And when he

had taken the five loaves and
the two fishes, he looked up to
heaven, and blessed, and brake
the loaves, and gave them to
his: tiLeJ disciples to set before
them; and the two fishes divided
he among them all. "And they
did all eat, and were filled.
<3 And they took up
twelve baskets full of the fragments: broken.
pieces enough to fill twelve basketa I.
and of the fishes. "And they
that did eat of the loaves were
[about] five thousand men.

and said unto them, Give ye

them to eat. And they say unto
him, Shall we go and buy two
hundred pennyworth of bread,
and give them to eat?
He
saith unto them. How many
loaves have ye? go [and] see.
And when they knew, they say,
Five, and two fishes. so And he
commanded them to make all
sit down by companies upon the
green gra.~s. ..,And they sat
down ill ranks, hy hundreds,

41 ,,,iTO V Ree. Omitted by Tisch . T. S.

Green. Alford. Tregelles.
43 1C).a.U/-l4TWPowou:a. KO~LIIOUC fl'A.~p.l-C Bee.
36 a.YOpdO'WO'U' 4\11'0'( ciPTOU(. 1'1. 'Yelp ~t1.
ouJouQ. /Corpivwv 1rAl')PWIoL4T4 Tisch
l'WO''U'' 0'''( ix.olJcn...Rec.
4)'. c. TI. ",a.ywQ'u' T. lC)uC1lA-a-ra.
8. Green. Alford.
T. S. Green, Alford, B.
&!
Rec.
Omitted by Tisch . T. S.
44 ""'" Rec. Omitted by Lach . Tlach..
T. S. Green. Alford. Tregelles.
Green, Alford, Tregellea.

.a'

worth of bread is not sufficient for

Feedino the Five Thousand. 35-44.
them. that everyone of them may
(Matt. xiv. 15-21; Luke ix. 12take a little."
Jesus says. "How
17; John vi. 5-14.)
manl loaves have ye?
Go and
37. two hundred pennyworth.
see.'
Andrew. after a search. an-Mark
and .Iohn are the only swers, "There is a lad here who
writers who mention the remark has five barley loaves. and two
about the quantity of bread which small fishes: but what are they
would be needed to feed the multi- among eo many?"
Jesus said.
tude.
We learn from John that "Make the men sit down." (John
Jesus first suggested the thought of vi. 8-10.)
buying bread by asking Philip.
The coin incorrectly represented
. Whence shall we buy bread that bv "penny"
is the Roman denathese may ent?"
Couihining the rlus. worth fifteen cents.
questions and answers as given by
39. on the green grass.-They
the two historians. the entire con- were in a "desert place" (versee
versation which followed was this:
35). yet they sat down on the
Some of the company answered, green grass.
This shows that the
.This is a desert place, and the time places called deserts in Judea were
is now far "pent; send them away, the grazin~ lands at some distance
that they may go into the country from the Cities.
round about, and into the villages.
40. sat down in ranks.-The
and buy themselves bread: for they distribution of the people in comhave lltlthin;..:to eat." He answered, panies of fifty and one hundred.
"Give ye them to eat." They said. was for the purpose of convenience
. Shall we go aud buy two hundred in waiting on them and counting
pennyworth
of bread. and give them.
them tv eat?"
Philip answered
On tho other details of this par(John vi. 7). "Two hundred penny- agreph, lee the notes on Mati. xiv.

132.

vi. 45-56.]

MARK.

806

4& And
straightway
he con- r up unto them into the ship; and
strained his disciples to get into the wind ceased: and they were
the ship, anrl to go to the other sore amazed in themselves beside before unto Bethsa'ida, while yond measure [and wondered].
he sent away the people. "And a. For they considered Dot the
when he had sent them away, miracle of the loaves: for their
he departed into a mountain to heart was hardened.
pray.
n And when even was
N And when they had passed
come, the ship was in the midst over, they carne into the land of
of the sea, and he alone on the Geunes'aret, lind drew to the
land.
UJ And I he saw:
geeing t shore. ,..And when they were
them toiling in rowing; for the corne out of the ship, straightwind was contrary unto them: way they kncw him, Mand ran
[and] about the fourth watch of through that w hole region round
the night he cometh unto them, about, and began to carry about
walking upon the sea, and would in beds those that were sick,
have passed by them.
411 But: where they heard he was.
&II And
when they saw him walking' whithersoever he entered, into
upon the sea, they supposed it villages, or cities, or country,
had been a spirit, and cried out: they laid the sick in the streets,
ill for they all saw him, and were
and be-ought him that they
troubled. And immediately he might touch if it were but the
talked with them, and saith unto border of his garment: and iii!
them, Be of good cheer: it is I; many as touched him were made
he not afraid.
~l And he went
whole.

R,,,.

48 .16.v
(6"v Lach., TiBch. T. S.
Green, Alford, Tregelles ..
{~ K' Rec. Omitted
by Lach., T'isch.,
T. 8. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

1\1 cu ie,;,,~ov Rer.

Omitted
by T. S.
Gree n , Altord . Tregel1es.l(,
B, L, A, etc.,
Vuhrate, Coptic.

prepared for tho~e that carne after

But for this, they would have ~o
considered the miracle of the loaves
Walking /lit the Water. 45-52. as not to be amazed at the walk(:'Ifatt. xiv. 22-33; John vi. 15ing on the water.
21.)
For other remarks on this mir48. and would have passed acle, see the notes on the pnrnllcl
by.-Here
i~ one of Murk's graphie in Matthew, and for other dctnils
hv either of these
touches by which he adds vividness not supplied
to the description.
It ~nctures writers, see the parallel in John.
Jesus IlS walking
in a direction Cures in Gennesaret, 53-56. (:'II a tt.
which would have missed the vesxiv, 34-36.)
sel- a circumstance which made
his appearance the more mysterious
53-56.-A few grnphic touches
to the disciples.
render Mark's account of this visit
52. for their heart was har- to the land of Gcnueearet more
dened.-They
lacked that impresai- lively than Matthew's, but the matbility by which, having seen former ter of the two nccounts is substanmiracles, they would have been, tially the same, and the oomment.
15-21, and the parallels
and .John.

26

in Luke

306

[vii. 1-4.

MARK.

VII. 1 Then came together

unto him the Phar'isees, and
certain of the scribes, which
came from Jeru/salem.
'And
when they saw some of his disciples eat- bread with defiled,
that is to say, with unwashen,

Tisch., T. S. Green. Alloru, TregeJlea.

thoucht
necesRary have already
o
been made under the parallel in
Matthew.
and
Opposition
of
Pharisees
Sn'ibes, vii. 1-13. (Matt. xv.
1-9 )
1. from Jerusalem.e-See
the
note on }'latthew xv. I.
2. defiled.-Defiled,
not according to the law. but according to the
tradition mentioned below at verse 3.
3. Bharisees and all the Jews.
-The
ter m "all" 18 used in a reatricted sense i for the Sadducees
rejected tradition entirely: but they
were a small body of men and had
little influence with the people.
The masses were influenced by the
Pharisees and kept the traditions.
wash
hands
oft. - Literallx
wash their hands with the fist,'
which means to wash them carefully, as when each hand is rubbed
with the fist of the other.
holding the tradition.-See
the
notes, Matthew iii. 7 i xv. 2.
4. except they wash.-By
8.
miatranslntiun the text is here involved in a useless repetition.
After saying that "except they
wash their hands carefully they
eat not." it is superfluous to add,
that "when they come from the
market, except they wash, they eat
not." ;I.[ark evidently intends to
assert smething that they did after
comin~ from the market, which
they did not on ordinary occasicns.
The difference is very clear in
the oriflinal.
The term rendered
wash, in verse 3, is nipsontai
(.'..f<ow1'a..),
correctly 80 rendered.

whereas the one rendered wash, in

verse 4, is baptisontai (j3a.1C1'i(J"'v1'a..).
they immerse themselves. This rendering is required by the meaning oC
the word, and this act was required
by the nature of the tradition.
The
tradition was an extension ofthe law
of uncleanness, 80 as to hold a man
unclean who had been in the marketplace i and the law for cleansing the
unclean required the bathing of the
whole flesh in water, which wa.a
accomplished by dipping one's self
in the bath. (Comp. the note under
}.Iatt. iii. 1.) When we remember
that bathing was a daily practice
amon~ the Pharisees, we are lese
surprised at this observance.
washing
of cu~s.-llere
again
the term" washing , yields a wrong
sense. It was not peculiar to the
Phurisees to wash eupM,pots, brazen
vessels, and couches i for every body
did this, and every body does it yet.
Surely Jesus did not reproach them
for keeping clean their drinking and
cooking vessels and their couches.
But it was immersing them when
they needed no washing, immersing
them for an imaginary religious
purification,
for which he condemned them. Such i8 the meaning of the word (j3a.rl1"O}L<>lJ{), and
such the significance of the praotice. It is objected to this, that
couches
(incorrectly
rendered tables in the text) could not have
been immersed.
Even Alford affirms that these j3a.1C1',(J}L0', sa
applied to couches, were certainly
not immersions, but sprinklings or
affusious of water." Nn reason i.
given to support this assertion, and

hands, [they found fault], For

the Phar'isees, and all trie Jews,
except they wash their hands oft,
eat not, holding the tradition of
the elders. 'And when they
2 J"'"ofiavTO

Bu.

Omitted

by Lach.,

m.

b-15.]

MARIe

come from the market, except

they wash, they eat not. And
many other things there be,
which they have received to
hold, as the washing of cups,
and pots, brazen vessels, and of
tables. 61Then: Awll the Phar'isees and scribes asked him, Why
walk not thy disciples according
to the trudi tion of the elders,
but cat broad with I uuwashcn :
defiled I hands? S lIe ans wered
and~ said unto them, \\' ell hath
Esa ias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This
people honoreth me with their
!ips, but their heart is far from
me. T Howbeit in vain do they
worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men. 8 [For] laying aside the
commandment of God, ve hold
the tradition of men "[as the
washing of pots and cups: and

r. i1l'et1'a. Rce. Ka.i Lach., Tisch., T. S.

Green, Alford. Tregulles.
5 a ..urTo'i Rec. ICOH'a.ti Lach., Tisch., T.
8 Green, Alford, Tregelles.
6 ""OKp,e Rec, Omitted
by Tisch .
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregulles.
8 ~a.p Rec. Omitted
by Lach . T. 8.
Green, Alford, Tregclles.
the only one implied is the assumptiun that couches could not be immersed; but this is not true. Thev
certainly could be immersed. and
when the text declares that they
were. this should be an end of controversy.
Kotldng hut the modern
practice of sprinkling for buptism,
11 practice
which Alford himself
admits was not known to the
apostles, could have su~e~tcd the
thou7ht of sprinkling in this case.

807

many other such like things ye

do]. g And he said unto them,
Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep
your own tradition.
10 For Moses said, Honor thy father and
thy mother; and, \Vhoso curseth father or mother, let him
die the death: II but ye say, If
a man shall say to his father or
mother, It is Corban, that is to
say, a gift, by whatsoever thou
mightest be profited by me; he
shall be free. U And ye suffer
him no more to de ought for his
father or his mother; II making
the word of God of none effect
through your tradition, which
ye have delivered: and many
such like things do yeo
U And
when he had [again]
called [all] the people unto him,
he said unto them, Hearken
unto me everyone of yuu, and
understand:
U There is nothing
8 l3a7rTuTp.oV(
ci'\A.a. "a.p6JLo~a

Ef!(T"'~JI lea.,
TOLQ.VTa.

ro,",piwv,

'n'oua.

'R'OUlTf

,,~

Rec.

Omttted
by T. S. Green, N. B. L. D, I. 10'1,
2(y'). ~f:ll, Coptic, Armenian.
14 yrclllTG. Rec. 1raA~., Lach., Tisch., T. S.
Green, Alford. Tregelles.

The points of argument are the

same as reported by Matthew and
already discussed (Matt. xv. 1-9),
but they are differently arranged
and more piquantly
expressed.
One of the few examples of irony
in the Savior's addresses is found
here in the expression (verse 9),
welll.e reject the commanament of Go that ye may keep your
own tradition."

"r-u

5-13. Then the Pharisees and Christ's Law of Uncleanness, 14aeribes+-Tbe

traditionary
prao23. (Matt. xv, 10-20.)
tices just mentioned. and the fact
thnt the disciples were seen tu eat
The subject of this paragraph it
with unwashed hands. gaye rise to '[8ufficiently discussed under the
the discussion which now follows. parallel place in Matthew.

MARK.

a08

from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but
the things which come out of
him, those are they that defile
the man. 18 [If any man have
ears to hear, let him hear.]
17 And when he was entered into
the house from the people, his
disciples asked him concerning
the parable. 18 And he saith
unto them, Are ye so without
understanding also? Do ye not
perceive, that whatsoever thing
from without entereth into the
man, it can not defile him;
161ft n( ix." W1'a. dI(OUf"V, G.ICOllfTW Ree.

Omitted
Coptic.

by T. S. Green,

~f

lvii.

16-24..

I. because it entereth
not into his
heart, but into the belly, and
goeth out into the draught, purg
ing all meats? 20 And he said.
That which cometh out of the
man, that defileth the man.
.1 For from within, out of the
heart of men,
proceed evil
though ts, adulteries, fornications,
murders, 12 thefts, covetousness,
wickedness,
deceit, .asciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy,
pride, foolishness: " all these
evil things come from within,
and defile the man .
, And from thence he arose,
and went into the borders of \

P, L, D, 28, lO:!,

and rejected
him most scornfully,
were constrained
to wonder whence
The
testimony
for Jesus
fur- he obtained
his wisdom
and hi.
nished by the preceding
section, is mighty
works.
There
was only
based chiefly on the opinions which. one solution of the problem which
men formed concerning
him.
The was satisfying
to the mind, and
disciples, though slow and hard of those
alone
were
satisfied
with
heart
to realize
his true nature,
their own conclusion
and rested in
were constrained
by the continued
it, who believed
him to be ths
demonstration
to acknowledge
his Christ and the Son of God.
And
inherent divine power.
The masses
to this dal the men who have reof the people who had witnessed
jected
this conclusion
and have
his miracles
were wild with ex- tried to account for the career of
eitement
wherever
he went, and Jesus in SOUle other way, have been
they brought
to him their
sick driven to conceits as baseless and
from
every
quarter,
a practice
a~ uure~",oI\:l.h\e
\\11 aI\y of
thol\e
which could not possibly have been adopted by the Jews.
kept up had not his cures been real
and unfailing.
His enemies. though
SEC1'IO~
VII.
they differed
in opinion as to the TOUR TO TYRE: AND ~ID')N,
VB. 24source
of his miraculous
power,
VIII. 12.
with one consent acknowledged
its
Cu re of tile Ge nt l le Woman's
Da ng hreality, lind none of them counted
ter, 24-30: A Deat ~talnlnerer
Heait:"d,
him less than
a prophet.
The
31-37; Feeding
t lre 1"011 r Thousand.
vlll. 1-9; In Da lm au u t.ha. A Sign
strange conceit that he was John
Demanded,
1O-1~.
the Baptist, or that he was one of
the old prophets raised to life again,
Cure oj the Gentile
Woman',
attests the struggle
of unbelieving
Daughter, ~4-30. (Matt. xv. 21minds in trying to solve the problem
28.)
of his power nnd of his being.
Even the Nazarenes, who, of
hlB
24. borders of Tyre.-On the
enemies
knew him most intimately
locality, see note on Matt. XY. 21
ARGUMENT

OF ~ECTION

6.

an

rii. 2.'>-31.

MARK.

809

Tyre [and Si'don], and entered children's bread, and to cast it

into an house, and would have I unto the dogs. And she anno man know it: but he could swered and said unto him, Yes,
not be hid. 161 For: But fcrrllt- Lord: yet the dogs under the
wiflt 1 a certain woman, whose table eat of the children's crumbs.
young daughter had an unclean ,. And he said unto her, For this
spirit, heard of him, and came saying go thy way; the devil is
and fell at his feet: -the woman gone outof thy daughter. IOAnd
was a Greek, a Syropheni'cian when she was come to her house,
by nation; and she besought she found the devil gone out,
him that he would cast forth the and her daughter laid upon the
devil out of her daughter. IT I But bed.
Je'sus: .And hel said unto her,
II And
again, del?arting from
Let the children first be filled: the coasts of Tyre Iand Si'don,
for it is not meet to take the he came: he came through Si'don 1
unto the sea of Gal'ilee, through
24 K4' :2,&0'0' Ree. Omitted by Tisch.,
I', 1;. Green, Allord, D, L, A, 28, a, b, I, etc. the midst of the coasts of De2.';

a'\'\"
,v8.f, Tisch., T. S.
TregeIJea.
Ree . .lto,l. iAf'YtV Lach.,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

'Yo.p

Bee,

31 "41. l"aw..-o," ~A.8. trpbc Rt*e. ~"9. 4!ul

1,,6WJ.lOf ,i.f Lach., Tisch., T. S. Green, Al
lord, TregclJes.

Green, Alford,
'1.7 0

i'isch.,

&. 'l"lO'ov( ,.t"O

would have no man know it.

-This
remark shows that Jesus
had not gone into this Gentile region for the purpose of preaching
and working miracles.
He was
doubtless aiming to give a large
amount of private instruction to
the twelve. We will see that this
desire for privac'y characterized the
remainder of hIS stay in Galilee,
althuugh in some other places, as
in this, it waa found that" he could
not be hid."
25, 26, a Greek, a Syroyhenician.-The
term "Greek" IS here
used, as it was frequently by the
Jews, in the sense of Gentile.
< G(JIll~. 1 Cor. i. 24.) After Alexander s conquests, when all the
world waa In subjection to the
Greeks, the Jews divided the world
politically into Jews and Greeks.
"Syrophenician"
is compounded
of Syrian
and Phenician,
and
means a Syrian of Phenicia, Phenicia being at that time R part of the
province of :::lyria. She was also,
Canaanite.
(See note, Matt. xv.

-u.)

30. laid upon the bed.-Demons, when expelled from persons,

sometimes threw them into convulsions and left them in an extremely
prostrate condition,
(Comp. i. 26;
IX. 26.)
Such was the case with
this ~irl, who had probably been
Iifted from the floor and placed on
the bed before her mother came in.
For further remarks on the paragraph. see the notes, Matt. xv. 2128.
A Deaf Stammerer Healed, 31-37.
(Matt. xv. 29-31.)

'I'

31. through
Sidon. - If the
corrected reading of this verse is
adopted (sec critical note), it will
appear that from the vicinity of
Tyre, Jesua went farther north, so
1\8 to pass through Sidon, and then,
hy II. detour to the east and south,
reached Deeapolia, south-east of the
lake of Galilee, and passed through
this district to the lake-shore; fur
"he cnme unto the Rea of Galilee
through the midst of the coute of
Decarolis."

SI()

MARK.

lvii.

32-37;

cap'olis. "And they bring unto

him one that W1Ul deaf, and had
an impediment in his speech;
and they beseech him to put his
hand upon him. as And he took
him aside from the multitude,
and put his fingers into his ears,
and he spit, and touched his
tongue; " and looking up to
heaven, he sighed, and saith
unto him, Ephphatha, that is,

Be opened. I6And [straightway]

his ears were opened, and the
string of his tongue was loosed,
and he spake plain. 16 And he
charged them that they should
tell no man: but the more he
charged them, so much the more
a great deal they published it;
17 and were heyond measure asss .~9i",<Rec. Omitted by T. 8. Green,
Alford, Tregellcs, N, B, D, etc., a, b, etc.,

32, deaf, and had an inipedi-

"String" is too specific.

It was ,;
tJ.~I-'0" the ;oud or hinderance, that

ment,-The
translation is too d iffuse,
The Greek words (%wl'iJV
,u"Y,,-u'-o\J) rendered "one that was
deaf, and had an impediment in
his speech," mean simply "a deaf
stammerer."
lIe was not entirely
without hearing, or he would have
boon dumb,
33. took him aside.--Jesus
was
still aiming to presene a good degree of privacy i hence his withdrawal from the multitude when
about to heal this man, and his subsequent charge to the man's friends,
"that they should tell no man."
(Verse 36 i compo 24.)
put his fingers.-The
process
adopted in this case was peculiar.
He first put his fingel'R in the man's
ears, one fin;;er in each enr, Then
he spit: we are not told where, but
the natural inference is that he spit
on the ground. The objoct of the
epitting we can not state i no conjecturo that we have seen nppears
even plausible.
lie then touched
the man's tongue-no
doubt with
his thumbs, one finger of each hand
being in his ear-looked
lip to
heaven. heaved a sigh, and exclaimed, "Bc opened," and "the
strinj; of his tongue was loosod,
and he spoke plain."
The entire
procedure indicates thc deepest 80
lemnity on the part of .Iesus, nnd
was calculated to strike the by
stande-e with awe.
35. string
of his tongue. -

Coptic.

prevented him from speaking freely.

36. the more they published
it.-By
It singular,
but very corn- \
mon freak of human nature, the
more he charged them to keep the
cure a secret, "the more a great
doal they published it." His very
anxiety tv avoid publicity made
him the more wonderful III their
eyes, and inspired them with 8
greater desire to Bound his praise
nhrond.
37, He hath done all things
well.-A
great change had come
over these people since the legion
of demons was cast out. They
had then feared him greatly, and
desired him to leave their coasts i
but now they exclaim, with reference both to that miracle and this,
"lie hath done all things well."
In this paragraph, and the paml.
lei in Matthew, a charaoteristio dif
feronce between the two writers is
seen,
Matthew says that "great
multitudes
came to him, having
with them those that were lame,
blind, dumb, maimed, and many
others, and cast them down at
.Iesus' feet, and he healed them"
i Platt. xv. 30) i hut he I!i'-es no
partTcular description of any single
case.
Mark. on the other hund,
selects a single one of these cures,
perhaps the first of all, and describes minutely bo~ it and it.
effect on the people.

viii. 1-12.]

MARK.

tonished, saying, He hath done

all things well: he maketh both
the deaf to hear, and the dumb
to speak.
VIII. 1 In those days the multitude being I very: again I great,
and having nothing to eat,
Je'sus called I his: the I disciples
unto him, and saith unto them,
I I have compassion
on the multitude, because they have now
been with me three days, and
have nothing to eat: I And if I
send them away fasting to their
own houses, they will faint by
the way: I for divers of them
came: and someoj them are I from
far. And his disciples answered
him, From whence can a man
satisfy these men with bread
here in the wilderness? 6 And
he asked them, How many
loaves have ye? And they said,
Seven. e And he commanded

311

the people to sit down on the

ground: and he took the seven
loaves, and gave thanks, and
brake, and gave to his disciples
to set before them j and they did
set them before the people.
'And
they had a few small
fishes: and he blessed, and I commanded to set them also: sd
them I before them. a So they
did eat, and were filled: and
they took up of the broken meat
that was left seven baskets.
g And
they [that had eaten 1
were about four thousand: and
he sent them away.
10 And straightway
he entered
into a ship with his disciples,
and came into the parts of Dalmanu'tha, 11 And the Phar'isees
came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a
sign from heaven, tempting him.
12 And he sighed deeply in his
spirit, and saith, Why doth this

1 ft'(l,I.L1T6,U.ov
Ree.
TrelA.,., 7ro'\A.oU
Lach.,
T. S. Green, Alford, TregelJes.
1 ,,"TO;; Rec. Omitted by Tisch., T. B.
7 e:VhOy~O'Cl(' t'l'l'u Trapa.8I1!ll'(U
,l(a.e. aUTO. Rtc..
tv. a:VTQ, Tl'll.pE8l)1CU' T. S. Green, AHord, t(.
Green, Tr~gelles.
8 TlVfi yap ...
~K40"
Rec. lCa~ 1"U'f(
9 o .pay6v,,, Rec. Omitted uy Tisch.,
Tisch., T. 8. Green, Alford.
T. S. Green, Alford, N, B, L, A, etc., Coptic.

"<T'

viii. (~a f'-ip1i) of Dalmanutha were the

suburbs of the place, or the lands
immediately adjoining it. If we
1-9.-The
account of this mir- suppose Dalmanutha to have been
acle is so nearly identical with that a village" in the coasts" of Mill!;given by Matthew that no remarks dala, and .Je~1l9to have heen in the
additional to those already given are immediate vicinity of the former,
deerr, ed necessary. See the parallel we have the exact conception furin .Matthew.
nished by the accounts when combined
~lark, ItS usual, is more
In Datmanutha. A Sign Demand- specific than Matthew in regard to
ed, 10-12. (Matt. xv. 39-xvi. 4.) the locality.
Feeding the Four Thousand,
1-9. (Matt. xv. 32-38.)

10. into

the

parts

of Dal-

11. the Pharisees

came forth.

manutha.-:llatthew
says, "into -M atthew represents the Sadducees
the coasts of Magdala."
(Matt. xv. 11.8 pllrticipllting in this conversation.
tempting him=-See the note on
39.) "The coasts " (~a op<a) of
M~dala were the lands lying in the Matt. xvi. I.
12. he sighed deeF,I;v.-The exTiclUity of Magdala, which was a town
cesaive depravitJr exhibited by tWa
of oonsidel'Qble size. "The part."

312

[viii. 13-17_

MARK.

gcneration seek after a sign?

verily I say unto you, There
shall llO sign he given unto this
generatiou.
IS And he left
them, and I entering into the ship: going
aboard I again departed to the
other side. a Now the disciples
had forgotten to take bread,
neither had they in the ship
with them more than one loaf.
16 And he charged them, saying,

.i.

1.:1
Tb ,,'\o,ov Ree.
Omitted by Tisch.,
T. S. Green, Alford, K, B, C, L, ~, etc,

demand for a sizn in the midst of

0\ erwhelming
demonstrations
of
divine power, seems to have moved
Jvsus to an unusual degree. The
tune of his answer, especially as
reported by Matthew, "A wicked
and adulterous generation seeketh
alter a 8ign, and there shall no sign
be given to it but the sign of the
prophet Jonas," is like that (If the
tiaul sentence of doom on a wicked
world
It was wrung from an unwillin!!; heart by the demands of
justice
no sign be given.-No
sign
such as they demanded; that is, "a
sign from heaven"
Mark, in his
brevity. omits the exception named
by Matthew, (Spa Matt. xvi. 4, and
the note there )
ARGUMENT

OF

SIlCTION

7.

This section contains an account of

three more remarkable miraclesthe expulsion of a demon from the
Gentile woman's daughter; the restoration of speech and hearing to the
deaf stammerer, and the feeding of
four thousand men with seven barley
loaves and a few small fi~h(>s By
these the divine power of Jesus is
once more exhibited.
The section
also exhibits the tenderness of his
compassion in his dealing with the
Gentile woman and the hungry

Take heed, beware of the leaven

of the Phar'isces, aud of the
leaven of Her'od.
16 And
they
reasoned among themselves, Isaying, It is because we have: beC(lll.~e thp11 h.ad~no bread.
II And
when [Je'su~ knew it, he suith
unto them, \ hy rca, on :'c, hecause ye have no hreud ? perceive ye not yet, neither under16 .\1l!'YQV1"Il!~J on, ci.pTOV~ oil" CX0f.LtV Rre.
tiP'T01J~
Dille ixovO'tv
Lach., TibCh., T. S.
Green. Alford. Tregellcs.
17;' 1~"ov. Ree. Omitted by TIsch .
T. S Green, Alford.

on

multitnde, and his judicial indignation against hypocrisy in his eonversation with the Pharisees. Thesa
are attributes of character \\ hich,
thou~h they do not prove their Pl)>laessor to have been superhuman,
are necessary to that perfection of
character which must be found in
the Son of God.
SECTION Vlll
TOUR

TO C.F.SAREA

Pnr LIPPI,

13-IX. 50

VIII.

The Lea veu of lhe Ph,ul,pe.

and of
Herod, vnt. 13-21; Cure o( the Blind
man at Bet.hsa ida, 22-26; Conversation m-ar ('!e<al'ea Ph rl t ppt, 27-XO;
Flr.t Pr=d lct lou of HI, Death, ~1..,'!3;
N Hce"ity
(or Sp\fsacrlfice,
S4-lx. 1;
Th Tra."ngnratlon,
2-J.i All 01>stinate
Demon Cast Out, 14-29, netnrn
t111011gh Ga li lee, and ,",pcond
Pr dlction
of Death, 8Q.-32; Dlspute
about Who shall be Greatest,
l!:~-:J7;
Jol.n,
Jea lousy, and Remarks ou
Offen,e',
~s.-50.

Tke Leaven of the Pharisees and of

Herod, 13-21. (Matt. svi. 5-12.5
15. the leaven of Herod.-On
the leaven of the Pharisees, see the
note under Mlttt xvi. 12. The
leaven of Herod was a corrupting
political influence. They had need
to be guarded against this, because
the disputes of political partisan.

~IARK.

Till. 18-24.]

8tand? have ye your heart [yet]

hardened?
II Having
eyes, see
ye not? and havmg ears, hear
ye not? and do ye not remember? II When I brake the five
loaves among five thousand, how
many baskets full of fragments
took ye up? They say unto
him, Twelve. 10 And when the
seven among four thousand, how
many baskets full of fragments
took ye up? And they said,
Seven.
.IAnd he said unto
17 in Reo Omitted
by Lach , T S
Green Alford, Tregelles ~, B, C D L, A,
etc ,a Coptic

are not only corrupting tu those

who Indulge them but they Ilnpalr
the Influence of men whose business It IS to gUIde nil p u-ncs in the
w Iy of holme-s
The apostles
adhered strrctly, throughout their
career, to the rule of action here
given
19, 20 how many baskets,~hrk here gl\ es In ItS exact form
no doubt, 1\ com ersunon wh rch Matthew puts Into a Abghtly different
form for the s'lk!' of ahhreviution
(Comp ~[~tt X\l q 10)
21 that ye do not understand.
-'lark
le-wes the AU],lLctWithout
saying 111\ ~l.ltthe\\ does whether
th dJ~clples nnally understood the
rem Irk or not, but he takes It for
granted that his readers would understnnd It
For other remarks see notes on
the parallel III ~lt\tthew
Cure of a Blind Man at Bethsaula,

22-25

22, Bethsaida,-This
IS not the
Beths uda III which Peter, Andrew,
and Philip had formerly resrded
(8ee note, Matt XI 21) but another
Hethsmda, afterwai d called .J uhas,
wlllch was srtuated
on the east
hnnk of the Jordan, ju~t above ItS
27

313

them,

How is it that ye do not :

not yet I understand?
nAnd J he cometh: they rome I
to Bethsa Ida; and they bring 11
blind man unto him, and besought hun to touch hun, 2. And
he took the hlmd man by the
hand, unci led hun 011 t of the
tow n; and w hen he had Spit on
h18eyes, and put Ius hands upon
him, he asked him if he saw
ought.
And he looked up

Do

y01J

21 1r~t ov aVVUTC J &e

OUft'W CTVVUTf,
Ttseh ,T 8 Green, Alford N B . K, L.
a, ete , k
22 ;PXfTa.~ Ref'
;P~O"Ta.~ Lach , Trsch ,
T S Green Altord, 1 rcgelles

entrance Into the lake of GalIl~e

(See Snnth's Dictionary, Art Beth
smda,2)
This IS evident from the
fact that the company of Jcsua had
crossed from the west to the northeast srde of the lake, In appi oachmg
the place
(Verses 10 13, cump
note Matt XVI 5)
23, led him out of the town Here we see onco more the deSire of privacy whrch Jesus had
manifested from the time of hIS
tour to the VICinity of Tyre
(vu
24, 33, 36)
He led the man OD
through the town In the direction of
his own Journey, to heal him outside.
SPit on his eyes -AgaIn
the
act of spittIng precedes the act of
healIng as In the cure of the deaf
stammerer
(VII 33)
But now
he Spits on the man's eyes the part
which IS to be cured
The m-m 8
eyes were probably sore suggestmg
the npphcanon of s-ihva for Its
known power to soften and soothe
the part thus affected
24, 25, men as trees -He had
not been born blind, or he wou ld
not ha.ve known how trees appcl\r
as distmgurahed
from men, but
having lost his Sight, when it was
partmlly restored he received distorted viaion of the men about him,

314
said, 1 see men as trees,
walking. 26 After that he put his
hands again UpODhis eyes, and
I made him look up: he saw
clearly I; and he was restored,
and saw I every man: all things I
clearly.
15 And
he sent him
away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, Dar tell it
to any ill the town.
nAnd Je'sus went out, and
his disciples, into the towns of
Csesare' a l'hili pipi: and by the
way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men
say that I am?
.8 And
they
[answered : toldhim,sayingl John
the Baptist: but some say,
Eli'as; and others, One of the
prophets. ~ And he saith unto
and

[viii. 25-33.
them, But whom say ye that I
am? (And] Pe'ter answereth
and saith unto him, Thou art
the Christ. 10 And he charged
them that they should tell no
man of him.
11 And he began to teach them,
that the Son of man must suffer
many things, and be rejected of
the elders, and of the chief
priests, and scribes, and be killed,
and after three days rise again.
8, And he spake that saying
openly. And Pe'ter took him,
and began to rebuke him. U But
when he had turned about and
looked on his disciples, he rebuked Pe'ter, saying, Get thee
behind me, Sa'tan: for thou
suvorest not the things that be
of God, but the things that be
of men.

2.1 ''71'0;1)0'"0 o.vTbv a.va.~Ae~a.L Rec. l.tfJht~'

Thrh., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.
~
cl1TtLVTai
Rec.
41TQ.I.IT(I.
Lach., T. S.
Green, Alford, Treg-ellcs.
29 8. R~c. Omitted by Lach., TIsch.,
28 ti1r~"p~97j(Tall Rec. e-hfOI.l av'T~, "",),0""'"
S. Green, Alford, Tregellea.
TIsch., T. S. Green, Alford.

that they appeared tall and

rough in their outline like trees.
Another touch of the hand of Jesus
completed his restoration.
Jesus
adopted this method of cure to gh'e
variety to the manifestations of his
power by showing that he could
heal in part and boY progressive
steps, as well as by his more usual
method of effecting a perfect cure
at one word. This cure was not
less miraculous than others, but
rather more so: for it was really
the working of two miracles, each
effecting instantaneously
all that
was intended by it.
26. Neither go
nor tell.
-If the man had p:one into the
town seeing, or had told persons
living in the town what had occurred, the whole population might
have gone out in pursuit of Jesus,
and thus the privacy which he was
80

'to

seeking to maintain would have

been broken up. It was for thie
reason that Jesus told him to
neither go into the town, nor tell it
to any in the town.
Conversation near Casarea Phi
lippi, 27-30 (Matt. xvi. 13-20;
Luke ix. 18-21.)

27-30. - This conversation it

much more fnlly reported by Mat.thew, and the reader is referred te
the notes on Matt. xvi. 13-20, for
comments and explanations,
First Prediction of His Death, 3133. (Matt. xvi. 21-23; Luke ix.
22.)
31. after three
days. -'l'hi.
paragraph also is more fully reo
I ported
by Matthew, and demand.
I no remarks here except in referenoe

viii. 34-ix. 1.]

MARK.

And w hell he had oall.l the

people unto him with his discipIes abo, he said unto them,
Whosoever
will come after me,
let him deny himself, and take
up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his
life shall lose it; but whosoever
shall lose his life for my sake
and the gospel's, [the same] shall
sa ve it. 86 For what shall it
profit a man, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own
soul? 17 [Or what shall It man
givE in exchange: For what u an
85 O"TO< Rec. Omltted by Lach., Tlsch.,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

to one striking difference in phrase-'

olouy.
In reporting
the predicted
time of the resurrection,
Matthew
has it, the third day" (xvi. 21),
and Mark, "after three dnvs."
As
Jesus can have used only one of
the two expressions,
we know not
which,
the writer
who uses the
other must have regarded
it aR an
~quintlent.
This circumstance
contributes
to the proof
abundantly
furn ishod in the :::\cril'turcs,
that
th two expressions
were equivalent
In Jewish
usage.
(See the discussion of this usage under Matt. xii.
40.)
...
Neres~ity for
Se{f-sacri.fice, VIII.
34-lx.
1.
(~Iatt.
XVI. 24-28;
Lu ke ix. 23-27,)
34. had called the people,Sotwithstanding
the eflilrts ol.h'"us
to secure
pr ivucy, it seems from
this verse that the
people
were
ahout
him.
Perhaps
they
"ere
only the people of the neighborhood
through
which
he wus f,a~sing.
Matthew
fuils to mention t 10 preseuce of 'illy but the disciples,

ix, 1. the kingdom

come.-Where

Matthew

II

81b

exchange I for his soul? 18 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed

of me and of my words in this
adulterous and sinful gencration i
of him abo shall the SUlI of man
be ashamed, when he cometh in
the glory of his Father with the
holy angels.
IX. 1 And he said unto them,
Verily I ~ay unto you, That
there be some of them that
stand here, which shall not taste
of death, till they have seen the
kingdom of God come w ith
power.
37 ~ ri ~W(fe, a.vlJpwtroi Bee.

T, S.

-n yap TiBet.,

GreCH, .l..

expression,
"till thev see the Son of
rnun coming in his kingdom"
(xvi.
~H); Mnrk uses
the " expression,
"till they have seen the kingdom
of God coiue with power;"
and
Luke, the expression,
"till they see
the kingdom
of God" (Luke
ix,
27),
All of these refer to the same
event. and this event was to occur
before
Borne then
present
would
taste (If death.
'I'hey saw the kingdorn of God in organized
existence
and activity for the first time on the
next Pentecost after the resurrection
of J eSUB. Thc;y then saw the king.
dom "come WIth power,"
because
such was the power of the lloly
Spirit's demonstrations
throuul: the
apostles, that three thousand
mer
were that day turned
to the Lord.
And thev saw the Son of man corning in fli~ kingdom,
not literully,
but j,y munifcstinp;
his invisible
presence to the eye of faith,
Whut
they saw with their ('y('~ and heard
. with tho ir pnl'8 attested IIi,. l're~ence
in his k injrd.uu.
For further remarks
on this prediction, and a fu ller explanation
of
of God the entire speech, see the notes on
uses the the parallel in Matthew.

316

MAHK.

And after six dals Je'sus'

taketh with him Pe ter, and
James, and John, ami leadeth
them up into an high mountain
apart by themselves: and he was
transfigured before them. I And
his raiment became shining, exceeding white [as snow] j so as
DO fuller on earth
can white
them. And there appeared unto them Eli'as with Mo'ses : and
they were talking with Je'sus.
And Pe'ter answered and said
to Je'sus, Master, it is good for
us to be here: and let us make
three tabernacles j one for thee,
and one for Mo'ses, and one for
Eli'as. e For he wist not what
to say j for they were sore afraid.
1 And
there was a cloud that
overshadowed them: and a voice
came out of the cloud, [saying,]
This is my beloved Son: hear
him. 8 And suddenly, when they
had looked round about, they

S XL Reo. Omitted by Tisch . T. 8.

Green, Alford, Tre&elles, It. B, C, L, 4, I,
1<.Sahldle, JEthloplc, Armenian, etc.
7 A,you"" Rec. Omitted by Tisch., T.
S. Green. Alford, Tregell es,

[ix.2-15.

saw no man any more, save

Je'sus
only with themselves.
And as they came down from
the mountain, he charged them
that they should tell no man
what things they had seen, till
the Son of man were risen from
the dead. 10 And they kept that
saying with themselves, questioning one with another what
the risin~ from the dead should
mean.
1 And
they asked him,
saying, Why say the scribes that
Eli'as must first come? 1, And
he answered and told them,
Eli'as verily cometh first, and
restoreth all things j and how it
is written of the Son of man
that he must sutler llIany things,
and be set at nought.
11 But I
say unto you, That Eli'IL~ is indeed come, and they ha ve done
unto him whatsoever they listed,
as it is written of him.
"And when he came to hill
disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribos
questioning with them. 14 AnJ
straightway all the people, when

The Trans/!-guration,
ix. 2-13. cast out the demon. (Comp. 16Platt. xvii. 1-13 i Luke ix. 28- 18.) It was a grcat triumph to
36,)
these 11 n believers to witness even
2-13.-This
display of the maj- une such failure, lind they eagerly
esty of Jesus is more fully treated pressed the advantage which it IIpMatthew.
Mark adds no mate- penrod to give them.

b,

15. were greatly amazed.-h

rial fact; hence the remarks on the
parallel in Matthew are sufficient is difficult to account for the amazement of the people at seeing Jesus.
for hoth passages.
The conjecture that his face wa~
still shining frum the tl'llnsfigu\':\.
An Obstinate Demon Cast Out, 14
tion, !LBdid the face of J\lO"e8 when
-29. (Matt. xvii. 14-21 i Luke
he came down from the mount (see
ix.37-43.)
Alford, Lange, and others), is not
even sUf(ge~ted hy the tcxt. The
14. the scribes questioning.The questioning of the scribes had natural im pression from the text i~
reference, no doubt. to the ineffect- not that it was something peculiar
ual attempt of the nine disciplee to in his appearance, but the foot of

i1. 16-20.]

MARK.

817

they beheld him, were greatly

amazed, and running to him
saluted him. 16 And he asked
I the scribes: them I , What question ye with them? 11 And one
of the multitude answered I and
said: him I, Master, I have
brought unto thee my son, which

hath a dumb spirit i II and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth

him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth
away: and I spake to thy disciplea that they should cast him
lout i and they could not. 18 He
answereth him, and saith, 0
faithless generation, how long
16 TOV(
.&c.
LA.C'h.,
Tlsch., T 8 Green. AlfordJ.Tregelles:
~, B, shall I be with you? how long
D, L, 01, etc., Old Latin. vulgate,
Coptic,
shall I suffer you? bring him
iEthloplc, Armenia.n,
etc.
17 cbrOKp~6I(li'
Rec. m.1I'U'p,Ol) a.VTf;', unto me.
00 And they
brought
Lach., T'lsch., T. 8. Green, Alford, TIehim unto him: and when he saw
flclle&.
yPtl,LL,LLQ.Tfl~

(lU1"OV(

fl1Tf

his being seen at that particular

time and place, which amazed them.
I infer that the people supposed
Jesus to have been at a much
greater distance from them than he
had been, and that his returu was
most unexpected.
If they were
partaking in the doubts and suspicions of the questioning scribes,
the thought of being caught by him
in such a state of mind would have
added much to their exeitement;
or if they were pained by the iuomentary triumph o( the enemy,
they would be equally excited,
though from a different cause, at
his unexpected return.
But whatever was the cause of their amazement, its effect was to make them
run to him and salute him.
16, he asked the scribes.-Before anyone had found time to tell
Jesus what had bcen going on, he
surprised the scribes by demanding
of them, "WhItt question ye with
them?"
They saw at once that he
knew all, and their failure to answer shows that they felt a deserved
rebuke for their exultation.
17. one of the multitude
answered=-Ae the scribes math, no
answer, the father of the afflicted
youth spoke out and told whnt had
given occasion for the questioning
referred to.
I have brought
unto thee.-

The father had run forward with

the multitude to meet Jesue, and
had brought his 80n, but not into
the immediate presence of .Iesus.
(Verse 20.)
As he began the sad
Rtory he stepped
forward
and
kneeled down at Jesus' feet. (Matt.
xvii. 14 )
a dumb spirit.-Called
a dum b
spirit because it deprived its victim
of speech. (Comp. 25.) The young
man was not only deaf and dumb,
but a lunatic, and subject to fits.
(Matt. xvii. 15.)
18, wheresoeverhetakethhim.
-The
convulsions seem to have
occurred at irregular intervals, being regulated by the whim and
moods of the demon which produced them.
(Comp. 20.)
The
father's exprcsSIOn, "wheresocver
he taketh 111m,"seems also to imply
that he supposed the spirit to be in
the child only at these periods of
severe Buffcring; and this thought
is confirmed by the words of Jesus ;
"Come out of him, and enter no
more into him." (Verse 25.)
19. 0 faithless generation.On tid" expression of .Iesus, see
the note on :'Ilatt. xvii. 17.
i 20, straightway
the spirit
tare him.-CtulL'ulsed him. "This
act of the spirit in the very prellence of Jesus, as they brought the
child ncar, displayed a wickednsc
I

818

MARK.

him, straightway the spirit tare

him; and he fell on the ground,
and wallowed foaming. 'I And
he asked his father, How long is
it ago since this came unto him?
And he said, Of a child. "And
ofttimes it hath east him -into
the fire, and into the waters, to
destroy him: but if thou canst
do any thing, have compassion
23 ti. at1v1Ullt 1nO'nuaa.c.
Rfc.
., auYJ1,
TiSl'h., T. S. Green, Tregelles, ~, B,~, ete.,
k, Coptic, Armeuiau, etc.

[ix.21-24.

on us, and help us.

D J e' SUB
said unto him, IIf thou canst
believe: If thou camHI. all
things are possible to him that
believeth.
[And] straightway
the father of t11e child cried out,
and said [with tears [Lord,) I
believe; help thou mille unbelief

J,

<'"

24
Ree. Omitted by TIach., '1'. S.
Green, '.!ford.
24 p..T" 6,,<puwv Ree. Omitted by Lach.,
'I'isch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregellee.
24 K UP" Rec. Omi ttod by Lach., TlBcb.,
T. S. Green, Allard, Tregellcs.

and obstinacy
on its part unequaled
in the accounts
of these desperate
beings.
Having clung to its victim
in spite of all the efforts of the disciplcs, it now seems determined
to
defy tho power of Jesus himself.
How different from the piteous sup'
plications
of the legion at Gadara I
21, 22. How long is it ago.The question,
"How
lon, is it a~o
since this came to him,' brought
out the fact that it was a case of
long standing,
and thus rendered
the subsequent
cure the more remarkable,
Tho father's
answer,
"Of a child," more accurately
rendered, " From childhood,"
does not
mean from his birth, but from early
childhood
as diatinzuished
from
youth j for Mark still calls him 0.
child.
(Verse 24.)
The time had
been when he was free from both
the dumbness
and the convulsions.
The father's
answer
shows
still
further the malignity
of the demon,
in that it would often throw its victim into the fire and into the water, as
if it took a fiendish pleasure
in th s
pain which it had the power to infli )t'l

"All
things
are possible
to him
that believeth,"
does not imply inability to heal an unbeliever,
for
many of the miracles were wrought
on persons who had no faith; but
it hinted at a possible refusal, as at
Nazareth,
to heal those who in the
face of competent
evidence
were
still unbelievers.
It also served as
an incentive
to the father to get
rid of the doubt implied in his petition, and it was an assertion
in the
presence
of the scribes who had
exulted over the failure of the disciples, that" all things were posai
ble " with himself.
24. said with tears.-The
Say
ior's response bronght about within
the affticted
father
the struggle
which was intended.
His tears ex'
pressed his anxiety for his son, and
his words declared the weakness of
the faith on which the cure WR8
now to depend.
The contradictory
answer,"
I believe; help thou my
unbelief,"
can have
sprung
only
from a heart distracted between
a
burning
desire and a weak faith.
It can not have been invented br,
23. If thou canst believe. - ~1ark. Haviuz said, "I believe,"
The father's
doubting
remark, "If he feared that
had I$0ne too far;
thou canst do any thing," is echoed
he calls his weak faith unbelief
by the answer, "If thou canst be- and begs .Jesus to help it. Row
lieve."
Each would be more hap- different this from the conduct
of
pily rendered,
"If you are ahle to the scribes who were resisting
the
do any thing," "If you are able to force of evidence and etru~ling
to
believe."
The additional
remark,
maintain
a stubboru
unbelief!

he

ix.25-80.]

MARK..

818

When Je'sus saw that the peo- and he arose. II ~I\.ndwhen he

pIe came running together, he was come into the house, his disrebuked the foul spirit, saying ciplcs asked him privately, Why
unto him, Thou dumb and deaf could not we cast him out 7
spirit, I charge thee, come out I W And he said unto them, This
of him, and enter no more into kind can come forth by nothing,
him,
28 And
the spirit cried, but by prayer [and fasting].
and rent him sore, and came out
10 And
they departed thence,
of him: and he was as one dead; and passed through Gal'ilee;
insomuch that many said, He is and he would not that Ilny man
dead. 21 But Je'tlus took him by
the hand, and lifted him up;
29 .,< Y~CTTli~ Eft. Omitted by TIach.,
T. S. Green, ~,

B,

k.

25. When Jesus saw.-Already

28, 29. Why could not we.large portion of the multitude had On the reason why the disciples
surrounded Jesus. h[will~ run to could not cast out this demon, see
him when he first came into view. the notes, Matt. xvii, 18-21.
(Verse 15.) The running together
mentioned in this verse was the Return through Galilee, and Second Prediction of Death, 30-32.
coining of others from the vicinity,
(Matt. xvii. 22, 23; Luke ix. 43and perhaps the rush of all to get
45.)
still nearer to him.
This was a
wide departure from the privacy
30. and passed through
GaH
which he had been maintaining, so lee.- They were return ing from
Jesus immediately pruceeded to east Csesnrea Philippi (viii. 27), whither
out the demon, and to withdraw they had gone hy passing east of
with his disciples into a house. the upper Jordan throuzh the dis(Verse 28.)
trict called lturea.
That they re26, 27. as one dead.-Nothing
turned "through Galilee," shows
but the amazing cruelty and effront- that they came down on the we.
ery of the demon can account for of the Jordan. They were on theit
the convulsion into which he threw way back to Capernaum.
(Verse
the young man IlS he left him. The 33.)
outcry was not an articulate Round,
that any man should know it.
but one of' those fearful shrieks -The statement that as they passed
which are sometimes heard from through Gnlilee "he would not that
the deaf and dumb. while the shock any man should know it," is the
given to the nervous system of the last mention made of the privacy
young man left him pulseless and which .Iesus had maintained ever
apparently dead. Such torture wan- since his Journe;:.te' the vicinity.?!
tonly inflicted by a demon, gives an Tyre
(Comp. VIJ. 24, 33, 36; Vlll.
awful conception of the stute of 23,26 j ix. 25.) It was this privacy
society which must prevail among; which occasioned the taunting rethese God-forsaken spirits. While, mark of his unbelieving kindred,
the by-standers were saying that the I Depart hence and go into Judea,
youth was dead, the touch of Jesus, that thy disciples ulso mav see the
who alone can deliver U8 from the works that thou doest, For therepower of the devil, brought instant is no man that doetb any thing in
restoration to him, and JOY to the secret, and he himself seeketh to be
beari of his kind fath",.
ltnown openly."
(John vii. 3, 4.)
1\

[ix. 81--&8.

820

should know it. II For he taught puted [among yourselves 1by the
his disciples, and said unto them, way?
But they hela their
The Son of man is delivered into peace: for by the way they had
the hands of men, and they shall disputed among themselves, who
kill him; and after that he is should be the greatest.
16 And
killed, he shall rise I the third I he sat down, and called the
day: after three daY81.
II But
twelve, and saith unto them, If
they understood not that saying, any man desire to .be first, the
and were afraid to ask him.
same shall be last of all, and
And he came to Caper'naum : servant of all. "And he took a
and beinp,:in the house he asked child, and set him in the midst
them, \\ hat was it that ye dis- of them: and when he had taken
81 Tn T,f!i'1l ~l-lfP, Ree. IoLU4 TPf'f i,Jj.C4C,
Sil frpbc fClVTOVC Re. Omitted
by L&cb.,
Lach . 1111Cll., T. Ii. Green, Alford, Tre T. S. Green, Alford, Tregellea, A., B, C, D. L,
lolle..
Old Latin, Vulgate, Coptic, etc.

31. is delivered.-Jesus

here
the present tense-" The Son
of man is delivered into the hands
of men" =-beeause the sad event WIlS
80 vividly present
to his imaginution. The usage is common in the
writings of the prophets.
thethird day.-The
corrected
text (see critical note) has it" after
three days," thus furuiehing a second example in Mark of the use of
this expression where Matthew has
. on the third day." (C\lmp. Matt.
xvii. 23, and see note on Mark viii.
31.)
32. afraid to ask him.-They
could not understand
the plain
words of this prediction, simply
because they were not willing to
receive them in their obvious import, and they could not discover in
them any other meaning.
It is not
unfrequently the C!I8e,even at the
present day, that a passage of Scripture is obscure merely because it is
capable of but one meaning, and
this meaning one that we are unwilling to accept.
Being for this
reason unable to understand -Iesus,
they were afraid to ask h im what
he meant, lest he should rebuke'
UlelD as he had rebuked Peter when
Ule subject W8.11 tint mentioned.
(,.iii. 33.)

Dispute about Who shall be Greatest, 3:1-37

(Matt. xviii. 1-35 i
Luke is. 46-50.)

Q6e~

33. What was it.-There

is an
appearance of discrepancy here between Matthew and Mark.
Matthew represents the disciples 8.8
beginning the conversation by asking who should be greatest, while
Mark introduces it by saying that
Jesus asked them, "What W!18it
that ye disputed among yourselves
by the way?"
We take both reports as true, and each as elliptical.
As Matthew states, the disciple.
came to Jesus and asked, "Who i.
the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?"
C~ll\tt. xviii. l.) They
ask this with an air of innocent
inquiry, givinl( no intimation of the
dispute in which they had engaged.
Jesus begins his reply by asking
them," What WI\8it that ye disputed
among yourselves by the way?"
showing that he knew the cause
and the occasion of their in<J.uiry.
Confused and ccnseience-smitten,
"they held their peace." (Yerse
34.)
35-37. and saith to them.Mark is here very brief, devoting
only two short paragrapbe (33-37
and 42-50) to a discourse which

is. 37-43.]

MARK.

821

him in his arms, he said unto against us is on our part. "For

them, ., Whosoever shall receive I whosoever shall give you a cup
one of such children in my name, of water to drink I in my name,
recei veth me: and w hosoever because: on the 8CQI'e that I ye beshall receive me, receiveth not long to. Christ, verily I say unto
me, but him that sent me.
yQU,he shall not lose his reward.
II And
John answered him, "And whosoever shall offend one
saying, Master, we saw one cast- Qf these little ones that believe
ing out devils in thy name, [and [in me], it is better for him that
he followeth not us:] and we a millstone were hanged about
forbade him, because he followeth his neck, and he were cast into.
not us. n But Jesus said, FQr- the sea. "And if thy hand ofbit! him not: for there is no. man fend thee, cut it off: it is better
which shall do. a miracle in my for thee to enter into. life maimed,
name, that can lightly speak evil than having two. hands to. go
of me.
40 FDr he that
is not into hell, into the fire that never
41
T'4 IHl61A4Ti. ,...OV Rec. ito' Or6j.L4'"
38 &. oil. "'0'\0.9,. ~/Io'.flu. Omitted by
.If

T. S. GreenhN, B, c, L, ~, etc., f, P. Syriac,

Coptic, A<:t Iopic, etc. TIlK'h.. D, x, etc.,
Old Latin, Vulgate, Armenian, omit on
oinc ci.;'.

Lach.,
gelles.
42
Green,

Tioch.,

T. 8. Green,

AUord, Tre-

,i.'/10'

flu. OmItted by TIsch., T. S.

Alford, N, c, n, ~, a, b, 1, k.

ing out demons in the name of JeSUB.and this proved him to be II.
friend.
Moreover, John should
have known that no man could cast
out demons in the name of Jesus
John'tJ JealoullY, and Remarks unless Jesus had given him power
about Offenses, 38--50. (Matt.
to do 80; and if Jesus had given
xviii. 6-9.)
him the power it was his privilege
38. we forbade him.-The
ex- to exercise it.
pression, "he followeth not us," I 40. he that is not against us.
means that he was not one of the -It is impossible for a man to 00immediate
attendants
of Jesus. I cupy strictly neutral ground in refSeeing such a man eastin~ out de-I erence to Christ.
His influence
mons excited John's jealousy, be- must preponderate in one w.\y or
cause he thought that no others the other.
If in no sense he is
than the chosen twelve ought to be against Christ, then he is for him;
honored with this power.
Such and if he is not for Christ, he is
jealousy in regard to official pre-i again~t him. (Comp. Matt. xii, 30.)
rogarives is a very common p8.88lOn, 41, 42.--On these verses. see the
and one against which men occu- I notes, Mutt, x. 40-42; xviii, 6.
pving poaitions of trust and author- I 43-47. into helL-On
the oriIt"y should be constantly on their gin and signiflcance of the term
guard.
hell. see the note on Matt. v. 22
39. Forbid him not.-Tf the The view there taken of its meanman had been an enemy of Christ, ing is confirmed by the present pasusing his power in opposition to sage; for Jesus shows the sense in
the truth, it would have been right which he U8e8 it by adding the exto forbid hiu, ; but, according to planatory clause. "into the fire that
John', OWll lltatement, he was cast- never shall be quenched."
Hell.

occupies the entire eighteenth chapter of Matthew.

(For remarks on
verses 35-37, Bee notes, Matt. xviii.
1--5. )

ehall be quenched:
[whcre
their worm dieth not, and the
fire is not quenched.]
~And If
thy fuot offend thee, cut It off:
it IS better fur thee to enter halt
into l.fe, than havlllg two feet
to be cast into hell, [into the fire
that never shall be quenched.J
4-1 OJl"O)) b (Tl(wA.'1E
.up ov a~Ev"vTa.\.
S Grceu , ~t B,

aVTWV

El~

'TO "UP

cv

Tf'\~IJ'T1jI

Kat

I"

[where their worm dieth not,

and the fire IS not quenched.']
"And if thine eye offend thee,
pluck it out: it is better for thee
to enter into the kingdom of
God with one eye, than having
two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48where
their worm dieth not,
and the fire is not quenched .
e For everyone shall be salted
with fire, and every sacrifice

'Tb

Re(' Omitted hy 'I'Isch ,

C, L, .l., etc t k Coptic,

Armelllllll

4)

[ix. 44-49.

~IARK

822

TO

Rec Omitted
Tregel les ~, B, C,
46 i;',ov
<T/l.VVVTa. Rtc Omitted
'>y
Syrrac, Coptre, Arme
TIsch T S Green, t(, B, C, L, ~, etc \ k
Coptic, Armenian.

oufhC1TOV

by Tt-ch ,T S Green,
I

01

nian

(t(,

etc

U, k, P

then I~ equivalent
to the fire that
never .hall be quenched
It I~ ul~o
pl iccd here m oppo-ution to "lIf,'"
I t I~ better
to enter
into life
m umc.l, th.m hav IIlg two hands to
~o into h 11'
The hfe hez e referrv.l to IS not the temporal
life,
nor tho CIII istian Iife into both of
which the disciples
addressed
had
already
entered,
but eternal life
Into which they had not yet entered
Rem;; e.l~t into hell, then, which IS
the alternative
of entering
into this
hfe, C LIl lip none other than punishment III the future state
'I'h!' reader will please to notice
the ch'ln~e. In these verses adopted
by some of the cr mcs
1f thl'J are
correct,
the explanatory
cl iuse
into the fire th'lt never ..hall be
quenched'
properly
occurs only in
verse H, and the clause,
"where
tbcir worm dleth not," only in verse
48
On the word "offend,"
see the
note on 'I Itt xVIii 8
43. their worm dieth not.The IIn'l~O b taken
fr)1I1 Is.uah
(!xVI 24) md i~tll.lt of worms feedinfo( on the de id e.irc.isscs
of men
ApplIed
to tho future st Ito, ItS it
unquestionably
I~ H) thi- pls~age, it
rapresenta
th"qe who snall be cast
into ht'11 as b"lng In It ~tate of dt'cllY
and rottenness
wlule unquenchable

fires are burning

them but never
eonsurmng
them
49. salted
with
fire.-This
is
confessedly
an obscure passa~e, and
on the meaning
of It a var-iety of
opinIOn. hale been adv anced
The
dd'arulty
In the first clause centers
chiefly,
as Bloomfield
justly
remarks, in the word" flre " As we
take It to be a symhol of punishmerit, or a symbol
of purrfication,
our interpretation
of the entire
verse must vary
If the passa~e
were entirely
isolated, It would be
more naturally
understood
as refer
rIng to purification,
for .alt is the
symbol
of I!erpetuity,
and fire is
often used In the Scriptures
a. 8
symbol of those trials which purify
the soul as the precious metals are
purified by fire
But the passage i~
not Isolated
it is the concluding
part of a closely
connected
dl-i"
course and I~ tied to the preceding
by the conjunction
for (ya.p)
The
context
must therefore determine
the sense in which "fire " i~ to he
taken
But in the context this term
h used with gleat emph.isis
thlf'e
times
acoordinz
to the corrected
text, and six times
accordmg
to
the received text" fiS 1\ symbol of
purushrncnt
Indeed
the disaster
of boinz ca.t into hell fire is held
I UJ) as ~ warning
throughout
th,

I"

IX.

50.]

MARK.

823

shall be salted with salt, 10 Salt season it? Have salt in your\8 good: but if the salt have lost selves, and have peace one with
Ilia saltness, wherewith will ye another.
Dontext, and, for the purpose of the meaning, it is inexplicable that
eml?hasis, it is repeated again and. the conjunction and (xa..:) is used to
a~am.
When, therefore,
imme- I connect the two clauses, instead of'
diutely after the last repetition of it the adverb so (~f or ~a1")'
It is
in the words, "where their worm safer, and far more in harmony
dieth not and the fire is not quench. with the context, to take the coned," the remark follows. "For every junction in its proper and ordinary
one shall be salted with fire," It I sense, and to understand the clause
would be doing violence to one as continuing the antithesis which
of the most invariable rules of in- has been kept up throughout the
terpretation to assign to the term context between those who would
"fire" a new and different sense. cut off the offending hand or foot,
'Ve conclude, then, that the term and enter into life, and those who,
is used here, ItS elsewhere in the refusing to do so, would be cast
paragraph, to denote punishment,
into hell,
By every sacrifice ill
and that with this conclusion our meant f'very person who presents
interpretation of the sentence must himself as a sacrifice to God in cueharmonize.
This being BO, the ex- ting off his offending members, or,
pression "everyone"
(n:a,) must in other words, by denying himself
also be limited by the context, and those sinful pleasures and enjoy.
must mean everyone who, contrary ments which are represented by
to the teaching just given, refuses these. (Comp. Hom. xii. 1.) That
to cut off the offendini!, hand, or to such shall be sulu-d with salt, as
pluck out the offending eye. It contrasted with being salted with
had just been intimated that all fire, means that they' shall be presuch would be cast into hell fire; served unto everlasting life-that
it is now said that every such one they shall enter into that life which
shall be salted with fire. As salt, is contrasted with being cast into
on account of its power to preserve hell. The figure and the mode of exmeats, is the symbol of perpetuity, pressing it are both taken from a proW be salted WIth fire is to be per- vision in the law which required that
petually permeated by fire, or to be every offering presented at the altar
kept perpetually in It state of the should be seasoned with salt. (Lev.
severest pain.
ii. 13.)
- and every sacrifice.-The mean50. Sa.lt is good.-Stdt is here
ing of this clause turns on the (Jut's used, as in the preceding verse, to
tion, whether it expresses a corn- svrnbolize that principle in Chrisparison of those who are salted with tlan life which leads to perseverfirE"with the sacrifices which are ance amid all required self-sacr ifice.
salted with salt, or presents those I The remark i" sententious and emwho are salted with fire in antithesis phatic, gi'ring pre-eminence to the
with others who would make the re- virtue in question.
quired saorrfices. Alford and some
wherewith will ye season it 1other interpreters adopt the former Here the salt is supposed to have
view, and would express the idea lost its saltness, and the question is
.hus: "For everyone shall he salted asked, "wherewith will ye season
with fire, just as every ~a{)l'ifice is it?"
The question answers itself,
a.ited with salt." Butifthis had been being the figure of erotesia, and

I)

[ix, 50.'
allirms that the 108t saltness can that the blind man W&8 cured by
not be restored.
Passing from the progresaive ste!?s, each one of whioh
symbcl to that which is symbolized, W8.8a miracle In itself, and in thM
it is affirmed thut if a man lose the the demon in question was one or
power of perseverance in the Chris- peculiar power and obstinacy.
tian life, there is no restoration for
The foreknowledge of Jesus U
him; his inevitable fate is to be O8.8t again displayed in his two prediointo hell, to be .. salted wi th fire.'
tions concerning
his own death
Have salt in yourselves.- (viii. 31-33; ix. 30-32), and with
Maintain in yourselves the quality his foreknowledge, hIS predetero!perse\ erunce by milking eve.ry sao- mined purpose to suhmit to death
rifioe necessary thereto. Their con- at the hands of his enemies.
tention 8.8to who should be greatest
But the crowning argument of
(33, 34), and their jealousy toward the section is contained in the 0.0the brother who had been casting count of the transfiguration.
If
out demons (38), were calculated the testimony of those who witto impair this quality by causing nessed this scene is not false testialienations and discouragement.
In mony, his divine majesty and hi!
opposition to this they are required God-given right to be heard in all
to encourage patience in one an- that he ohooses to speak, are estabother, and it is added. "have peace lished beyond all possibility of
one with another."
Strife among mistake.
them would destroy their salt; peace
would tend to preserve it.
END OJ' PRT

ARGUlIBNT OF 8ROTION

8.

The two miracles recorded in the

preceding section-the
cure of the
blind man at Bethsaida (viii. 2226), and the casting out of the obstinate demon (ix. 14-29)-are
additional demonstrations of the divine
power of .Iesus.
They are not
mere repetitions of former proofs,
bllt
they POll1l6SS peculiar force in

FIJl.8T.

We have now reached the close

of the first general division of
Mark's narrative.
Hitherto, after
a few introductory
st.a.tementil in
the first chapter (I. 1-13), all the
incidents which he records occurred
in Galilee, or in the regions immediately adjoining.
Now the writer
leaves Galilee, and returns tq it no
more. (See below, x. 1.)

PART SECOND.
J'BOMTO D8PARTURE

OUT OF GALILEE

CHAPTERS
X. 'And he arose from thence,
and cometh into the coasts of
J udse'a I by: and I the farther
side of Jor'dan: and the people
resort unto him again; and, as
1 6,,41 T'OU frfP4"
Rec. 11:4' 'ftipl1l1 Lacb.,
Tisch., T. 8. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

SECTION

I.

EVENTS IN PERRA, X.

QueRtlon about Divorce,

1-121 Blesstng
Chll<lrt'II,I3-16;
The .Klch MornllRt, 17-:/2; The Danger of Riches,
23-27;
The Reward
of Self-d~nlal,
28--il1; Dread of Jerusalem,and
Third
Prediction
of Death,32--34; Ambition
of JamesaIJdJohIJ,3."J-45;
Tb e HealIng of BUnd Bart.imeus,
4~.
Lillie

TO THB AlCDIIO&

X-XVL
I

he was wont, he taught them

again.
And the Phar'isees
came to him, and asked him, Is
it lawful for a man to put away
his wife? tempting him. And
he answered and said unto them,
What did Mo'ses command you?
ing that if it is "lawful
to put
away a wife," this privilege unqualified makes the husband
the judze
of the cause.

3. What did Moses command.

-The
order
of the 'luestions
and
answers
in this conversation
seems
at first glance to be inconsistently
reported
by our two evangelists.
Matthew
represents the Pharisees
11.8 making
the reference
to what
Moses had commanded,
and 11.8 makQuestion about Divorce, x. 1-12.
ing it in the form of an objection
(Matt. xix, 1-12.)
to what Je~us had said; while Mark
Jesus as making it in
1. into the coasts of Judea..- represents
(See note on Matthew xix. 1.) It the form of a question for the Pharisees to answer.
If, according
to
should be observed that, according
to the corrected
reading of this our rule in such cnses, we suppose
verse, Mark is more speciflo in his hoth accoun ts to be true hut elliptical, the entire
conversation
11.1'statement
about the localities than
in the
Matthew;
for while the latter says, runges itself most naturally
following order:
As reported
by
.. into the coasts of .J udell. beyond
bethe Jordan,"
Mark says, into the both eVRngelistl!, the Pharisees
by ask injz; "Is
coasts of Judea
and
beyond
the $an the conversatlon
It lawful Cor a man to rut away his
Jordan,"
thus making a d istinction
wife for every cnuse ?" Jesus anbetween
the two localities,
instead
as reported
by Mark (3),
of calling
the region
beyond
the swered,
. \\That did ~1"se8 command you?"
Jordan"
the coasts of .1udea. "
2. to put a.way his wife.- They replied, 11.8 ulso reported by
suffered to write
Matthew adds, "for every cuuse ;" Mark (4), "?Ioses
and put her
and this is the meaning
of the a bill of divorcement
lIe then responded,
all requeation 11.8 reported
by Mark, see- away."

(3~'>'

826

'And they said, Mo'ses suffered

to write a bill of divorcement,
and to put her away. 6 And
Je'sus answered and said unto
them, For the hardness of your
heart he wrote you this precept.
I But from the beginning
of the
creation IGod: He I made them
male and female.
'For this
cause shall a man leave his father
and mother, and cleave to his
wife; and they twain shall be
one flesh: so then they are no
more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined
together, let not man put asunder. 10 And in the house I his:
the I disciples asked him again of
6 b 8.6< Jc. Omitted by Tisch.,
Green, Tregelles.
10 "UTOU lIee. Omitted by Tisch.,
Green, Tregelles.

x. 4-14.] .

MARK.

T. B.
T. S.

ported in substance by both, " Have

~e not read that He who made
them at the beginning, made them
a male and a female, and said, For
this cause shall a. man leave father
and mother, and shall cleave to his
wife: and they twain shall be one
flesh. Wherefore they are no more
twain, but one tlesh, What therefore
God has joined together, let not man
putasnnder." AtthispointthePhar.
iaeea make their appeal to Moses,
as reported bv Matthew (7), saying,
"Why then did Moses command to
give II. writing of divorcement and
put her away?"
,Teslls answered,
"Moses. because of the hardness
of your hearts, suffered you to put
away your wives: but frOIDthe beginnin.1l: it was not 80." Thi.s .last
remark is quoted out of Its original
connection hy Mark (5). because he
condenses the entire conversation.
10. And in the hcusa=-Jeeue
and the disciples have now left the
Pharisees with whum he had been
l'!(\nversiJ\jf.
and It,{}n~ into "the

the same matter. "And he saith

unto them, \Vhosoever shall put
away his wife, and marry another,
committeth adultery against her.
12 And
if III woman: 8M I shall
put away her husband, and I be
married to: marry I another, she
committeth adultery.
IS And
they brought young
children to him, that he should
touch them: and his disciples
rebuked
those that brought
them. 11 But when J e'sus saw
it, he was much displeased,
and said unto them, Sutler the
little children to come unto me,
[and] forbid them not: for of
12 yw~ &.c. ClVT>J T. 8. Green, Alford,
Tre!>clles.
12
Ree. y""~O'" aU.v Lscb.,
T. B. Green, Alford, Tregelles.
14 .,,' Ree. Omitted by Ttsch . T. fl. Green,
Alford, Tregelles.

y",.~9naU.,.

house," where the disciples ask him

again of the same matter.
The
question and answer which follow
were not heard by the Pharisees,
and the same is true of the parallel in Matt. xix. 1O-J2.
12. she committeth
adultery.
-1n this verse Mark makes an addition to tho report as given hy
Matthew, showing by express statement what is only implied in Matthew's report, that a woman who
puts awa., her husband and marries
another IS equally guilty of adultery with the man who puts away
his wife and marries another.
For other remai ks on this conversation, see the notes on the
parallel in Matthew.
Blessing Little Children, 13-16.
(Matt. xix. 13-15 j Luke xviii.
15-17.)

13, 14. they brought younl'

children.-On
these verses, 8ell thll
notes, Matt. xix. la, 14.

1.

15-18.J

such is the kingdom of God.

II Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he
shall not enter therein. I, And
he took the III up in his arms,
put his hunds upon them, and
blessed them.
15. as a little child.-Strictly

construed this clause means, Who.oever shall not receive the kingdom
of God as u. little child receives it."
Tt' receive the kingdom of God is a
different act from entering into it.
The distinction is made in this very
sentence:
Whosoever shall not
rereioe the kingdom as a little child,
he Rhall not enter therein"
Receiving it precedes entering into ie, and
means no more than accepting
its
teaching.
This a little child does
with an implicit faith from the
moment that its understanding
is
sufficiently
developed.
16. up in his armS,-Xot
content with merely laying his hands
on them, he took them up in his
arms to UO so, and blessed them.
The tt'ndernes8 which he manifested
toward the little children should
cause parents to more highlyappreeinte them, and to labor more assiduously to hrin~ them up in the
doctrine and discipline of the Lord.
The Rir'h J/u/"Illi.<t, 1i-~2. (Y1att.
xis. 16-22, Luke xv iii IR-~3)

17. running,

827

MARK.

and kneeie:l.-

11.., k ill more graphic in his description of thia incident, than either
Uatthew or Luke
He strikingiy
depicts the eagerne"s and humility
of the man, by bringing out the
facts that he cam!' running to Jesus,
and that on reaching h is presence
he kneeled down before him. The
deep earnestness
thus exhibited
must not be lost sil!:ht of it] our estima.te of the young man's condition
and hi. subaequent fate.

if And when he was gone forth

into the way, there came one
running, and kneeled to him,
and asked him, Good Maeter, what shall I do that 1
may inherit eternal life? II And
Jesus said unto him, Why
callest thou me good? there is

18. why eallest thou me good'

-The
term good which the man
applied to Jesus, saying, Good
Master," and the simultaneous Rct
of kneeling to him, were both suggestive of the Divine Being. Jesus
catches the word for the purpose of
directing attention to its real force
when applied understandingly
to
himself. Why do you call me
good? there is none good but one,
that is, God"
If vou mean what
Y(lu say you should acknowledge
me to be divine, for you call me
good, and there is none good but
God. The remark was, indeed, a
two-edged sword, for it cut away,
on the one hand, all subsequent
objections which the man might
make to the divinity of Jesus, and,
on the other, it cut away all just
ground for the man's conceit concerning his own ~oodnrss. Jesus
did not dwell on the thought ; he
merely dropped it in the man's ear
as a seed which should grow in
after-time;
for though
the man
paused not to consider it at the
moment, it was so sill~lIlar a part
of a conversation
which
WlUl
d",tined to be a memorable event
in his personal history, that in after
veal'S he could not fail to think on
It solemnlv.
,rhile ~lark reports the answer
jU8t considered, Matthew reports
.Iesus as answering, according to
the corrected text. "Why do you
ask me about the good?"
fU
IPLo>1"o., 1C.pi 1'0'; <rra.iJoV.
And" the
good" referred to in the qestion i.
the good thing" which he supposed

T'

~lARK.

~28

none good but one, that is, God.

aThou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery,
Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not
bear false witness, Defraud not,
Honor thy father and mother.
10 And
answered and said
unto him, ::\I!~~ter,all these have
I observed from Illy youth.
"Then .Ie'sus beholding him,
loved
him, and said unto
him, One thing thou lackest:
go thy way, sell whatsoever
thou hast and give to the
' I
1 1
h
poor, an d t IOU S 111.t
ave

[x. 19-24.

I treasure

in heaven: and come,

[take up the cross, and] follow me. 12 And he was sad
at that saying, and went away
grieved: for he had great poesessions.
"And Je'sus looked round
about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that
have riches enter into the king.
dom of God! ,. And the disciples were astonished at his

he

21 O:po.< Tby crT"Vr.0Y Bu. Omitted by T.

Green.
Tregel es, N, B, C, D, ol., 406,
Vulgate, etc.

s,

I sonal

he was to do in order to inherit

eternal life. (See ~flltt. xix, 17,) I
No doubt -Iesus propounded both
questions, putting the one quote,I'
by Matthew first. The man, in his
question, had used the term I!oo,j
twice -" Good
Master," "f.(ood
thin"."
.Iesus, in reply, asks him
fir~t,"''' Why do you ask me about
the good," as though there were
any one thinj; so good that by
doing it a man should inherit
eternal life; and secondlv "\Vhv
do you call me good?" -~1atthew,
although he does not quote the
second quostion of Jesus, shows
that he W!l8 not ignorant of it, by
nd,jing the remark, "The Good
Uein!!; i~ one," which is equivalent
to ~{tlrk's words, " There ill none
good hut one, that is, God," (See
the corrected readings of Matt.
xix 17.)
19, 20.-0n
this part of the
reply, which is reported with some
om issions by Mark, see the notes
on Matt, xix. J 7-20.
21. J eRUS beholding
him,
loved him.-There
is emphltsis on
the word beholding."
He looked
at him intently, senrching into the
truthfulness of h is declaration. lind
seeing in the young man's heart
tLnd life that whIch I\wakened 1\ por1

attachment for him: for the

statement that" he loved him," expresses a personal attuchment,
and
not that general love which .lesus
bears to all men, How interesting
the character which thus excited
the affections of Jesus, and how sad
the rctlection that this character
was still without a well grounded
hope of salvation I Yet many simiJar cases are constantly occurring,
and our own experiences are often
like this of Jesus : we are constrained to love most tenderly persons
whose waywardness /!:ives us constant pain, and from whom we must
anticipate an eternal separation.
On the question propounded by
the young ruler, and I,is sad depnrture, see tho notes on Matt. xix.
:lO, :l2.
The Danger of Rickes, 23-21.
(:If att, xix. 23-26; Luke xviii. 24'27. )
24. them that trust in riches.
-The three expressions, "they that
have riches"
(23), them that
trust in riches" (24), and" a rich
man" (25), are used in consecutive
sentences to designate the same
character, and are therefore oquivalent, though by no means synony
mous exoressione, They show thrJ

x. 25-31.]

MARK.

329

words.
But Je'sus answereth I unto him, Lo, we have left all,
again, and saith unto them, and have followed thee . [And]
Children, how hard is it for Je'sus [answered
and ] said,
them that trust ill riches to Verily I say unto you, There i8
enter into the kingdom of God! no man that hath left house, or
161t is easier for a camel to go brethren, or sisters, or father, 01
through the eye of a needle, mother, [or wife,] or children,
than for a rich man to en ter or lands, for my sake, and the
into the kingdom of God. :18And gospel's, 10 but he shall receive
they were astonished out of un hundredfold now in this time,
measure. saying among them- heuser, and brethren, and sisters,
selves, Who then can be saved? and mothers, and children, and
nAnd Je'sus looking upon them, lands, with persecutions ; and in
saith, With men it is impossible, I the world to come eternal life.
but not with God: for with God II But mallY that are first shall
all things are possible.
be last; and the last first .
[Then] Pe'ter began to say
w a.trOIC'P"~fU 6i l. 'I1'JO'OVf dtl' . ~. i.
28 .,,' Rec. Omitted by Lacb., Tisch . T.
8. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

'1. Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford.

29 ~ yvva'.a Rec. ('mllted
Tisch., Alford, 'I'regel Ies.

by Lach.,

reply to Peter's
inquiry
(see the
parallel
in Matthew),
but here he
introduces
an
interesting
item
omitted
by Matthew.
It is the
prom ise that the "houses,
brethren," etc., uro to he received"
now
in this time," and that they nre to
be received
"with
persecntious."
The promised
return
is realized
usually
in the enjoyments
uf the
Christian
life, which are an equivalent for nn hundredfold
of all that
is lost in serving Christ.
It is uften
the case, however,
that
a person
who 1081'S one friend
for Christ
actually I!ains a hundred,
and that
he who 10~Pil his home nctuully
gnin~ 1\ hundred
in the welcome
25-27. It is easier.-See notes which he 1i1ll18 to the homes of his
on Matt. xix. 24-26.
brethren.
The qualifyinl?
expression, "with
persecutions,
was inReward of Se(f denial, 28-31.
tended to ~uard a~ainst a too literal
(Matt.
xix. 21-30; Luke sviii.
construction
by showing that these
28-30.)
were not inconsistent
with the roa.l
28. Then Peter began.-On menning (If the rrollli~e.
31. first shal be last.-On this
the cause of Peter's
remark
and
inquiry, see the noteon Matt. xix. 27. verse, and on what is omitted from
hy Mark, see the
30. and lands, with persecu- the paragraph
tions.-Mark
omits much of the notes on the parallel in Matthew.

the kind of rich man contemplated

is one who trusts in riches; that is,
one who depends
for happiness
on
his riches rather than on obedience
to the will uf God.
The danger of
riches, and the difficulty of savin)!:
rich men arise from their proneness to thus trust in riches.
But
\hose already rich are not the only
persons
exposed
to this danuer :
those who are ea~er in the purRII it
of wealth are equally exposed : for
it is said by the apostle Paul, "TllI''y
who will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which ,lrown
men in destruction
and perdition."
(1 Tim. vi. 9.)

830

MARK.

And they were in the way

going up to Jeru'salem;
and
Je'sU8 went before them: and
they were amazed; and as they
followed, they were afraid. And
he took again the twelve, and
began to tell them what things
should happen unto him, sa saying, Behold, we go up to Jeru'salem i and the Son of man

[x. 32-35.

shall be delivered unto the chief

priests, and unto the scribes;
and they shall condemn him to
death, and shall deliver him to
the Gen'tiles: and they shall
mock him, and shall scourge
him, and shall spit upon him,
and shall kill him: and the third
day he shall rise again.
16 And James
and John. the

Dread of Jerusalem, and Third lessnesa, and that they followed him
Prediction
of Death, 32--34. with fear.
(Matt. xx. 11-19; Luke xviii.
The fact that Mark makes th6
31-34.)
statement about their surprise ann
fear, without furnishing the facts
which account for it, shows the
32. amazed ... afraid.-They
were amazed that he would go to artless simplicity with which his
Jerusalem, and they were afraid narrative was constructed; lind the
in rep:ard to their own safety as fact that the e\\oU\\\'% of tlwi.~\\l\\~m,
tln-v followed him.
Mark leaves us when once discovered, are ample
without information as to the cause to account for it, shows that his
of these feelings; but John's nar- simplicity is that of a truthful hisrative
incidentally
supplements torian telling an unvarnished story.
Mark's, and supplies the needed The frequent occurrence of such
information.
Since leaving Galilee coincidences should also teach Ull
that many other obscure portions
.lesus had already been to Jerusalem
on a Tisit not recorded by Mark of the gospel narrutives would be
(.John vii. 1-10; x. 22), and had rendered perfectly intelligible, if
encountered such opposition there we were only acquainted with dethat he had been constrained to tails which have been omitted from
retire beyond the Jordan.
From the record for the sake of brevity_
33, 34. Son of man shall be
this retirement he had been rethird prodiotion
called by the sickness and death delivered.-This
of Lazurus, and as he started in of his final sufferings is much moro
than either of the
obedience to this call, the disciples circumstantiul
(Comp. viii. 31; ix,
had exclaimed, "MaRter, the Jews preceding.
of late ~()u~ht to stone thee; and 31.) He now p:ives in epitome, and
goest thou thither aF!:ain1" Thomas in chronological order, the entire
said, "Let us also I!:O, that we may history of the mournful event,
die with him." (John xi. l-!l., 16.) (Comp note, ~fatt. xx. IS, 19.)
Aft~r raising Lazarul< he had been
driven away again by the much ina- Ambition of lome., and John, x.
tions of the Jews, and had retired
35-45. (:\Iatt. u. 20-28.)
to a city called Ephraim, in a country neur the wilderness.
(John xi.
35. sons of Zebedee come t~
states that the
46-54.)
He was now once more him.-Matthevv
returning to Jerusalem, and it is mother of 7,ebeclee's children came
not surprising that the disciples to him with her sons," and prswere amazed at his apparent reck- ferrod the request about to be

3&-45.]

MARK.

sons of Zeb'edee, come unto him,

saying [to ,him], Master, we
would that thou shouldest do for
us whatsoever we shall desire
0/ thee 1. II And he said unto
rum, What would ye that I
should do for you? IT They said
unto him, Grant unto us that
we may sit, one on thy right
hand, and the other on thy
left hand, in thy glory.
18 But
Je'sus said unto them, Ye know
not what ye ask: can ye drink
of the cup that I drink of?
Iand: or I be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with?
Ie And they said unto him, We
can. And Je'sus said unto them,
Ye shall indeed drink of the cup
that I drink of; and with the
baptism that I am baptized withal
shall ye be baptized: 60 but to

831

sit on my right hand Iand: or]

on my left hand is not mine to
give; but it shall be given to
them for whom it is prepared.
And when the ten heard it,
they began to be much diapleased with James and John.
'" But Je'sus called them to him,
and saith unto them, Ye know
that they which are accounted
to rule over the Gen'tiles exercise lordship over them; and
their great ones exercise authority upon them. &I But 80 I shall
it not be: is it not I among you:
but whosoever will be great
among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you
will be the chiefest, shall be
servant of all. "For even the
Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,
and to give his life a ransom for
many.

85 "~T';'Added by Tisch., T. S. Green,

Alford, Tregelles,
40 . 1 &C. ~ Lach., Tisch., T. B. Green.
ss (T< Added by La.ch., Tisch., T. S.
Alford, Tregelles.
Green, Alford, Tregelles ..
43 '0'Ta.' Rec, <err" Lach., Tl.8ch.,T. B.
86 , ne ~ Lach., Tisch., T. S. Green,
Alford, Tregelles,
Green, Alford, Tregellea.

named; while Mark, saying nothing

of the mother, simply states that
the two sons came. The omission
does not detract from the truthfulnCBSof the narrative ; for although
the request was preferred through
the lips of the mother, it was really
the request of the sons. !::loMat:thew himself represents it; fur he
quotes Jesus a~ replying, not to the
mother, but to the sons, saying,
Ye know not what ye ask. Are
ye able to drink," etc. (Matt. xx.
2.2.) The difference, then, arises
from an unimportant
omission in
Mark'A account.

Il;iven a brief prophetic description.

(32-34.)
They are called a baptism, because, while enduring them,
his soul was sunk in sorrow as the
body when buried in baptism. It
is impossible to think of baptism in
the IJght of this metaphor as any
thing else than immersion. Neither
sprinkling nor pouring could have
suggested the comparison which the
metaphor implies. Hprinkling, indeed, if used metaphorically
for
suffering, could represent only a
slight degree of it.
For remarks on the other {loints of
interest in this couversation, lee
38, 39. baptized with the the notes on the parallel in Ma"
baptiam.-There
can be no doubt thew.
that Jesus here refers to his last
luft'erinj[I, of which he hud just

[x. 46-52.

882

And they came to Jer'icho: 'I stood still, and commanded him
and as he went out of Jer'icho to be called. A.nd they call the
with his disciples and a great blind man, saying unto him, Be
number of people, blind Bar- of good comfort, rise; he calleth
tinue'us, the son of Timse'us, sat thee.
r.o And he, casting away
by the highwny side begging. his garment, [rose : leaped up/
., And when he heard that it and came to Je'sus. ~I And Je'.
was .Ie'sus of Naz'areth, he began sus answered and said unto him,
to cry out, and say, Je'sus, thou What wilt thou that I should do
son of Da'vid, have mercy on unto thee? The blind man Shid
me. <8 And many charged him unto him, Lord, that I might
that he should hold his peace: receive my sight. &'And Je'sUB
but he cried the more a great said unto him, Go thy way; thy
deal, Thou son of Da'vid, have
"A11d Je'sus
flOAvana. he. civa".~~~
.a. Lach . Tisch
mercy on me.
T. S. Green. Alford. Treg-ellcs.
'I

The Healing of Blind Bartimeus,

x. 46-52. ~Matt. xx. 29-34; Luke
xviii. 35-xlx. 1.)

and the time at which he went out

of it, the blind mall had changed
his position.
This chllll/l:e of position is accounted for by other state46. blind Bartimeeus. - This ments in Luke. It is said (Luke
blind beggar is introduced a8 a well- xviii. 36). that hearing the multiknown character.
Mark does not tude pass by. he asked what it
introduce him as a certain blind meant."
Now he could not know
man. whose name was Battimreus, that a multitude were approaching
the usual manner of introduci nz a him. unless the;v were making a
stranger, but simply as blind Bar- great deal of nOIBe; but that they
timteus, the Bon of 'I'imreus." He were not. is evident from the fact
had probahly become well known that when he hegnn to cry out they
by his zeal and activity in the cause told him to hold his peace. It was
of Christ subsequent to the recov- a quiet and So her throng, following
ery of his eye-sight.
His notoriety Jesus. and stretched along the hi~haccounts for the fact that Mark way to a great distance. The blind
descrjbes his restoration to sight man could only know that a multiwithout saying any thing of the titude were pll88ing by when a large
other who sat with him and was number had already passed, and
healed at the same time. (See the others were continually passing.
note on xi 2, and the parallel in It WIIS then that he asked what it
Matthew.)
meant. and WIIS told that it was
52. thy faith hath ma.de thee occasioned by the presence of
whole.-Althou/l:h
Bartimreus was Jesus (Luke xviii, 36. 37): but
~itting by the way-side begging as when he begnn to cry out for
.Je~us "went out of Jericho with his merc". it was "they who tl'wt bed isciples " (verse 46), and was there fore'
that told him to hold hil
healed, we learn from Luke. that peace. and as they had already
he also "sat by the wayside be/l:' i passed by. he must have changed
gin~" as Jesus came nigh unto his position and got in front of the
JerIcho."
(Luke sviii. 35.) This multitude before he commenced hi!
shows that between the time at outcry. (Luke xviii. 39.) That he
which Jesus came nigh to the city, did change hia poairion, then. i~

x.52.]

MARK..

333

faith hath made thee whole. his sight, and followed Je'sU8 in
And immediately he received the way.
~Iear from Luke's narrative; and
from Mark and Matthew we learn
the point to which he moved: from
a position near the !:',ate at which
Jesus entered the City, he moved
around to that at which he passed out
(if, indeed, he actually passed out
throuj!;h a different gate), and there
resumed his begging until the multitude drew near again.
We can now see how hiR faith
made him whole. Having believed,
not by having seen the miracles,
but by having heard of them
through others, that Jesus could
give eye-sight to the blind, and hav1!Ig concluded that he was the
Christ the Son of David, when he
learns that Jesus had passed by
him into Jericho, on his way to
Jerusalem, he springs to his feet,
and either by his own knowledge
of the locality, or by the help of a
friend, he makes his way to where
he will intercept Jesus as he passes
out of the city. Mos.t likely he
passed around the wall, instead of
trying to press through the narrow
and crowded streets.
When he
hears the head of that great column
of men approaching him, he cries
out, Jesus, thou Son of David,
have mercy on me;" and when
those who were going before rebuke
him and tell him to hold his peace,
the more they rebuke him the
more a great deal" he cries out,
until J eSUB comes opposite, stops,
Iond calls him to him. His faith
laved him by causing him to employ the means necessary to arrest
ilie attention of Jesus and to secure
.he coveted blessing.
In the same
way does the faith of the sinner
save him. Faith alone, or faith
without action, could not have made
the blind man whole, nor can it
bring the linner out of darkness
into lilht.

followed Jesus. - As Jesue

healed the man, he said to him,
Go thy way;" and this gave him
liberty to go in any way that he
might choose; but he chose to follow Jesus in the way," glorifying
God."
(Luke xviii. 43.) Such a
beginning was doubtless followed
by a life-time of devotion to Jesus,
and though we meet not his name
again in the sacred record. the
familiar manner in which Mark
introduces his name (see note on 46,
above) is more than a hint of his
high distinction among the disciple.
at a later period.
AROUlfBNT

OF SECTION

1.

In this section Jesus is exhihited

as a teacher, a prophet, and a
worker of miracles. Bis instruetion on the subject of divorce (112~, displays a knowledge (Jf the
primary intention of God concernmg the relation of the sexes, and
an insight into the design of the
Mosaic statute on the subject,
which not onll rose hi~h above the
Jewi~h learning of his own age,
but laid claim to a knowledge of
the unrevealed counsel of God.
None hut the Son of God, or one
specially commissioned to speak
the mind of God, could blamelessly
speak as he speaks on this subject..
He sets eside, for the future, the
statute of Moses, stating the reason
which governed the mind of God in
giving it, and restores as the law
of his kilJgdom the original law of
wedded life prescribed in the garden of Eden.
. His teaching, in the same aeotion, on the spiritual relatioos of
infants; on the duties and dangers
connected with riches; on the rewards of self-eeerlflce for his sake;
and on the true exercise of ambi-

MAltK.

334

XI. I And when they came

nigh to Jeru'salem, I unto Beth'phage and: and to ] Beth'any, at
the mount of Ol'ives, he sendeth
forth two of his disciples, and
saith unto them, Go your way
into the village over against
you: and as Boon as ye be en'1

Itt

S,,8aJlta.v

B'1641aYlJ

Lach

1(4'

BJ19all'[""

Ree.

Trsch., T. S. Green,

b c, etc., Vulgate.

#cat
D,

ftf

a,

[Xl_ 1-4.

tered into it, ye shall find a colt

tied, whereon never man sat;
loose him, and bring him. lAnd
if any man say unto you, 'Vhy
do ye this? say ye that the Lord
hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
'And they went their way, and
found the colt tied by the duor
without in a place where two
ways met; and they loose him.

The Tempi!' Cleared, 15-19; The FIgtion, are alike suited to his charactree Fou nd WlIhered,20-26;
Hi, Auter as the Son of God, and to the
thorilr
Demanded,
27-33; Plll,lule of
the \\ icked Hu-baudmen , XII. 1-12,
hi~he~t hnppille~B of mankind
It
QUP"lOn about Tt Ibut e to COO',lI', 13is mconceivuble
that they can be
17; Que,tion about the Re'1II1 ectlon,
tho teuchiuzs
an ignorant
or a
lx-27 t rh~ Gle.\t Com m.md rueut, 28a~; 'I he LOI'I.hlp
ot the Chi Ist, ;-!5WIeked pretender
d7; Ovtentur ton and AvarIc of tile
While
hl~ superhuman
wisdom
Scrlues, .J;I-40; The \Vldow's Mite, 4144.
i-, thus displayed
in his teachinu,
h is ability to look with divine foreknowled:.;e
into all the details
of
future
events
is demonstrated
by Public Entry into Jerusalem, xi
1-11.
(Matt. xxi
I-II;
Luke
hI" minute description
of the sufferxix ~9~,
John xii 12-19.)
in"~ which awaited him
>rhe account of blind Bartimeus,
1. unto Bethphage. - Thps6
while it proves again his power to
word. are rejected from the text hv
heal, reflects additional
credibility
on the account of his previous m ir- a few of the cr itics, but by referucles
This man, being blind, could ence to the critical note abov e the
reader can see that the grounds for
h we known
of the previous miraare but slight, and
cles only by hearsay;
he could not their rejection
they are of undisputed
genuineness
have seen them for himself,
That
in the parallel verse of Luke
(On
ho did, then, believe
in the power
the locality, see note, Matt. xxi 1.)
of Jvsus to heal, shows the abun2. a colt tied.-Matthew
8ays,
dance and sufficiency of the testimony which
was brought to his " an a~. tied and a colt with her,"
it W88
ears; and the very existence of this According; to both account"
the colt that wa~ ridden (7, eomp
te~timony
in regard
to a matter
xxi 5), ~() Mark, pursu ing
ahout which men coul.l not be mis- Matt
his ehnracteri-tic
method
of 8i;
taken, is proof that real miracles
gling out the one mo-t iTIIportant
had been wrought.
person or object in a group. mentions the colt and Mys nothing of
the dam.
(For other exam ples of
tlris method,
compare
v 2 with
SECTION IL
~1att viii. 28, vii 31,32 with Matt
bOID&NT8 AND DISCUSSIONS IN JB- xv 29, 30; x 46 with Matt Xl[ 3\.),
RU8ALIW
XII.
xi 21 with 'lutt
xxi, 20; xii 2 with
}Io.tt, xxi, 3t; xiii, 1, 2 with Matt.
Pub1t~Entry
Into Jern.alem,
xt, 1-1I;
The Barren Fig-tree Cursed, 12-14; xxiv, 31, )

or

xt.

MARK.

xi. 0-13.]

835

And certain of them that 1 ing,] Hosanna;

Blessed is he
stood there said unto them, i that cometh in the name of the
What do ye, loosing the colt? I Lord: 10 Blessed be the kingdom
And they said unto them even lof our father Da'vid, that comas J e'sus had commanded: and eth [in the name of the Lord] :
they let them go. T And they I Hosanna in the highest. II And
brought the colt to Je'sus, and I [Je'sus] entered into Jeru'ealem,
cast their garments on him; and) [ami] into the temple: and when
he sat upon him. 'And many he had looked round about upon
spread their garments in the way: all things, and now the eventide
and others cut down branches was come, he went out unto
L0ft'the trees: out of the fold~ 1 Beth'any with the twelve.
~and strawed them in the way].
lJ And
on the morrow, when
AI)(l t hey that went before, and they were come from Beth' any,
they that followed, cried, [say- he was hungry:
IS and f'peillg a
8 ~.v5pwv Reo. aypwv TI~ch., T S Green,
fig-tree afar off ha ving leaves, he
Alford, 1 rcgelles.
8 ICII.1. to'TPWI'VVOI'
t't~ T~V
ooov!lee
Oim tted
by Trsch, T S Green, Alford, Tregclles,
N, B, C,

r., .:..

q"h l<1rc,

9 )o.'JOVT" RPc
Alfor ,Tregelles.

Omitted

by T S. Green,

5, 6. What do ye,-lIere
Mark
give8 an incident which i~ omitted
by the other writers
lIe stutes
that the inquiry, "Why do ye
this? ' which was anticipated and
provided for by the Savior (3), was
actually
made when the disciples
were untying the colt, and that
w hen the inquirerwere told, "The
Lord h,ttl,l,n~~'l. of hill," "they l.et
them).lo
I Ills W.L8 another
dispLty of furek nowlodjre,
showing
th.it Jp.u~ knew wlu-i o the animals
would be found and what would be
the mind and word of their owner
10. Blessed be the kingdom,This ex, l.un.ition
of the people
shows that they expected Jesus to
immediately Rot up the kingdom
of David. and to assume the throne
which h.id been vacant from the
time of the Babylonish captivit,YLuke, indeed, states it as a fact III
connection with his departure from
Jericho on this journey to .Ierusulem, thnt the multitude who followed him" thought that the kingdom of God should immediately
lU'TlII.'\r" (Luke xix. 11.) I t was

10 i ...ovo,ua.n Kuptou ERe

Omitted
hy
La.ch., Trsch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.
11 "t~!lO'oii~Kat. Ref', Omitted bv Lach.,
Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles,

the exulting thought of n.itional

independence
and glory that inspired their acclamations, and tho
same feeling prepared tlu-m for the
reverse of feeling toward .Iesus,
which occurred when they found
him a prisoner in the hand. of POll
tius Pilate
For other remark. on the public
entrv, see the parallel in M,Ltthew.
went out unto Bethany.Matthew proceeds at this puint of
the narrative to speak of the clearing of the temple, which actualll
occurred the next day (Matt XXI.
11,12, compo Mark xi 12 15), but
Mark, more observant of chronology, represents
Jesus IL" merell.
"looking round about on all things, '
and retiring at " eventide" to Bethany. We learn from Luke that he
continued to make Bethany his
lodging-place until the night of the
Last Supper
(Luke xxi. 37, 38.)

n,

The Barren

Fifl-tree

(~1att xxi

Cursed,

17-22.)

12-14.

13. the time of figs was not

yet.-The
fact that it Wall not yet

M..ABK.

LXI. 14....18.

carne, if haply he might find

and when he
came to it, he found nothing but
leaves; for the time of figs was
not yet.
I, And
[Je'sus] answered and said unto it, No man
eat fruit of thee hereafter forever.
And his disciples heard
it.
16 And
they come to Jeru'salem: and [Je'sus] went into the
temple, and began to cast out
them that sold and bought in
the temple, and overthrew the

tables of the money-changera,

and the seats of them that sold
doves; II and would not suffer
that any man should carry any
vessel through the temple. "And
he taught, saying unto them 1,
Is it not written, l{y house shall
be called of all nations the house
of prayer? but ye have made it
a den of thieves.
II And
the
scribes and chief priests heard
it, and sought how they might
destroy him: for they feared
him, because all the people was

14, 15 " 'I~<TO;;< Ree. Omitted by Lach.,

I'Isch . T. S. Green, Alford, Tregetles,

17 ho Ree.
Green, Alford.

any thing thereon:

fig-time made it the worse for this

tree. On this kind of fi~-tree the
fruit forms before the leaves, and
should be full grown when the
lea.ves appea.r: so this tree, by J;lutting on Its foliage before the time
for fig8, was proclaiming
itself
superior to all the other fig-trees.
This made it a striking symbol of
the hypocrite, who, not content with
appearing to be as good as other
people, usually puts on the appea.rance of being a grea.t deal better.
(Camp. the note on Matt. xxi. 1\).)
14. his disciples
heard it.The fig-tree being" afar off" (13),
and Jesus havin~ gone alone to see
if there was frUIt on it, it was well
here to note the fact that the disciples heard what he said to the tree.
He intentionally spoke loud enough
for them to bear him, because he
wished to teach them a lesson.
For the result, see 20-26 below.
The Temple Cleared, 15-19. (Matt.
xxi. 12-16; Luke xix.. 45-48.)
15. beg-an to cast out.-On
this
verse, and the seventeenth, see Matt.
xxi, 12, 13.
16. any vessel through
the
temple.-Thi8
statement is peculiar ~ Mark. The practice referred

Omitted

by Tach., T.8.

to is doubtless that of making the

temple court a pas8-way in carrying
burdens from one part of the city
to another.
Persons might pn.!lII
through the temple to save the inconvenience of going around, and
thus disregard the exclusivdy 8a.
cred uses for which the temple W841
erected.
18. how they might de&tro,
him.-The
scribes and the chiei
priests who now soughe to destroj
him, were responsible for the corrupt teaching which had resulted
in the desecration of the temple
court. and therefore they were severely rebuked by the Savior's expulsion of the traders, and by hi&
remark tha.t they had made hl~
Father's house a. den of thieved.
This was the bel!;innin~of that Iinl!.
conflict which led to hIS condemnstion and death.
for they fea.red him,-Thi~
il
given, not as the reason why they
desired to destroy him, but as the
reason why, instead of destroying
him at once, they sought how they
mil!:ht destroy him: and the difliculty which lay in their way is the
one stated in the next clause of the
isentence, "all the peo~le vms astonished at hia teaching"
His teaob-

xi. 1~-24.J

MARK.

astonished at his doctrine. 18And

w hen even was come, he went
out of the city.
*' And in the morning, as they
passed by, they saw the fig-tree
dried up from -the roots. olAnd
Pe'ter calliug to remembrance
saith unto him, Master, behold,
the fig-tree which thou cursedst
is withered away. 22 And .Ie'sus
answering saith unto them, Have
21 'Y"P &0.
Omitted
T. S. Green, Allord.

837

faith III Gou. [For] verily I

say unto you, That whosoever
shall say unto this III iuntaiu, Be
thou removed, anti he thou cast.
into the sea; and shall not doubt
in his heart, but shall believe
that those thillgs which he saith
shall come to pass; he shall have
whatsoever he saith 1. Ii Therefore I say unto you, What things

23 & iav .i"ll Rec. Omitted by Tisch . T.

8. Green, Tregelles, ~, B, C, L, .1, ere., Vulgate, Coptic.

by Lach., Tisch.,

ing WIIS 80 new, 80 divine, and 80 expression employed by Matthew,

Ill11ply supported
by miruculous "How soon is the fi!~-tree withered
demonstrations, that the people l'e- away," is the same in meaning,
ceived it with applause.
though not in word.
The Fig-tree Foulld Wit!m'erl, 20- I ~3, shall believe that those
26 (M tt
. ')0-'''')
I thmgs,Here we see what the
.
a. XXI. ~ --.
, faith was by which miracles were
20, in the morning.-M\\tthew,
: wr\)u~ht. It is not merely faith in
choosing to finish the account of IGod or in Christ, but belief, wben
the fig-trpe while he had it in hand, 0. mountain is commanded to move,
follows the statement of the curse or an v other miracle is comwith the remark, "And presently: mandr-d, "thnt those things which
(rta.pa.,tP'1,ua.,
immediately) the fig_I he sn ith shall come to pass." Of
tree withered away;" -by which we course, no one could rationally beunderstand that it begun to wither'llieve
this who was not possessed
immediately.
Mark, preferring the of miruculous gifts; but a man
chronological order here to the or- might have theso gifts and fail to
del' of association, and de8ignin~ make them effective for want of
to gi\'e more prominence to the inci- this faith. (See, for examples, Matt.
dent, states that it WIIS the next xiv, 30, 31; svii. ]9, 20.)
morning, as they returned toward
24. believe that ye receive.th!' city, that they found the tree In the original, according to the
withered.
In leaving the city the corrected text which is here 8Upewning before, they had probably ported by author-ity so hi;!h 1\8 to
I!:Oll(,
II.V a different path and had place it almost heyond the reach of
not noticed the tree.
Xow the~ doubt (see critical note above ), the
find it "dried up from the roots; , verb" reeei\'e" is not in the Present
the withering which begnn when tense, but in the Aori"t. and it is
tho curse was pronounced having translated in the brackets "have
extended to the roots.
received." It is an instance. how21. Peter calling to remem- ever, of a peculiar UReof the Aorist,
brance.-IIcre
we learn that it was which is represented in Enp:lish by
Peter who made the remark attrib- the Present tense. Mr. GrN'1I states
uted hy Matthew to the disciples that the Aorist iN occasionally used
1\'1\ body (Matt. xxi. 20), "Master,
in the New Testament "when a
behold the fig-tree which thou curs- circumstance which ill to issue as I
edst is withered away." The briefer ma.tter of general certainty, it repr

MARK.
soever ye desire, whe~ ye pray,
believe that ye Ireceive thcm:
have received I and ye shall have
them.
,~Ana when ve stand
praying,
forgive.
if )e have
ought agaill-t any:
that your
Father ulso which is in heaven
may forgive you your trespasses.
18[But if ye (10 not forgive,
neither will YOllr Father which
is in heaven tiJrg,ive your trespasses.]
"And
they come again
to
'2i Ao.!J.f3civf!T'(!
Ret'.
'l' -, (rrecn. Al lurd

tA.n/3Hf! Lach . Ttcch.,

Trl'gt.'lle~.~. R, c 1., ol.,

[xi. 25-30.

~en~'~alem: and as he was walkthe U:mp1e,. there come to

I hun
the chief priests, and the
I scribes,
and the elders, 18 and
I say unto him, By ,~hat authority
doest thou th~se things ? and who
gave thee this authority
to do
these things?
2~ And
-Ie'sus
s,~ere(l all!!] said unto them, I
~Ill [also] a.,k of you one qU~ition, and answer me, and I Will
tell you by what authority I do
these things.
80 The baptism
of
John, was it from heaven, or of
lt~g ll\

ran-

2\) Omitted
by TI'Clt,
T. ;, GrcPII
Tre~ell\'" N, B. L. d, u, etc , k, I, t optic,
Arrueuran

'Z9 "".<p,e", Ree. Omitted by T!.'lCh., T

S. Green, Alford, Tre~e1l0'.
'2'1 <ay", Rec
Omitted by Tisch.; T S
Green, Alford, T'rcgulles,

resented as an i'~ue in fact." (X

T Or,lIn mar, P 1.36), and he cite.
the following passage.
.lohn xv 6,
rend-red in the common ver-don,
" If a man ubide not in me. he i~
cast ["rill as a branch and is withered, ' where" cast forth" and "withered " are in the Aorist, and John
xvi 8, "Herein
j~ Illy Father glorifled, that yc hear
much
fruit;"
where " glorified"
and"
bour " are
in the Aor i That the instance
before n~ is one of the same cluss
is seen by the fact that the ordinary
rendering
of the Aorist
here involve- the sentence in an absurdity
It iuukes .J(,.II' "ty, "llE'lieve thut
ye hone I'PI ftl'Pll thr-m, and ye ,hail
hare the:u " The rp,l] idea is, heliove tit it it i. 'L ur.uter of general
cert.rinty
til receive thorn, and YOLl
sh.ill h 1"1' thorn
The ra.~age
de
cluros clt)J,'crning
prayf'r the~ same
necea-it v f"r f,lith th.u i. del'lared
by ver,':; ~.l in reference to miracle
working
(Comp ,1J.s i 0,7
Other
instances
of the u-e of the Aorist
for the Present are found in J,IS i'
1), and ) Pet i ~-!)
25. when ye stan -:1 praying.-I
Thio expre8~ioll .!tOWH that It w:\<,

u~1l1l1for the ui.cipJe~ to pray standing

Kneeling and prostration
were
and are more devout postures,
and
should be preferred
when circumstances do not forbid, but standing
is here recognized
by Josus as a
suitable posture, and it is therefore
not to Le despised
Whether a
worshiping
assemblj- should hahitually stand or kneel must be determined by each for itself in the light
of surrounding
circumstunces , but
it should he rcmembered,
tlmt while
Rt:mding
and kneeling
are both
marks of respect in the presence
of a superior,
sitting
is not,
and
consequently,
sitting
in prayer betravs u want of reverence
{OrglVe.-On
the necesvity
of
fon;ivIIlg
in order to forgiveness,
see the note. ~Lttt. vi 14, 15 The
l"gic,.l connection
of this precept
WIth its ,'ontext
is sonn-whnt
oilscure hut it seems to he this
The
disciples
h.id seen .11'8u, curse and
hlnst the fig-tree, and they doubtless
understood
the qignificance
of the
act. They might, from this exampIe, whe n thev encountered
the hypocrites repr"~ented by th fig-tree, be
encouraged to curse them in a. sim-

CnptH-'

xi. 3t-xii. 5.)

MARK.

men? answer me. 1\ And they!

reasoned
with themselves,
sayLng, If we shall say, From
heaven; he will say, \V hy [then]
did ye not believe him r s, Hut
I if we shall : are we to I say, Of
men; they feared the people: for
all men counted John, that he
was a prophet
indeed.
U Awl
they answered
and said unto
Je'sus,
\Ve can not tell.
.\nd
Je'sus
(answering]
suith unto
them, Neither
do I tell you by
what authority I do thebe things.
XII. I And he begun to speak
unto them by parables.
A certain man planted
a vineyard,
and set an hedge about it, and
digged a place fur the wine fat,
aud built a tower, and let it uut
to hu-bnndmen,
and went into It
far country.
And at the sea31 o~v &0. Omitted by Lach , Tisch.,
T '" Green, Alford, 'I'regclles,
3"2 ciAA' ea.v Rec. a.AAa Lach., 'I'isch t T.
8, (,rcen, Alford, Tregellcs
J~ a.7TOKPt9tL~
Rec,
Onn tted by TIsch., T.
II Green, Alford.

339

SOIl he sent to the hu-bnndmen

a
servant,
that he might receive
from the husbandmen
of the
fruit of the vineyunl.
I And
I they caught him, and beat him,
and
sent him Il\\ay
empty.
And again he sent unto them
another
servant;
and I at him
they cast stones, and I\OUlHl"d
him: him tllCY Iwttwl, d I ill the
head, and [sent him away shamefully handled:
treoted lum. sluunefullyl.
6 And
[again]
he sent
another;
and 111m they killed,
and m'lIlY others i bL'atillg some,
ami killlllg some,
6 Having
yet
[therefore]
one son, [hi~J wellbeloved, he sent him [also] last
4 A,90$oAi'J<Ta."T-I:'~ Rer Orultted hr Lach.,
1...., GrLcll
Alfortl. 'I rcgllll' ....
-1 alTt(i'TuAav ."nfJ-l.UfLtIlOv
Ret
'In''''l'JI1'''.
LIt( h , 'l' iJ Gri-c u Alfurd 'I reg-pllc'
5 7r(lA,v Rec
Onu tted liy Lach., Ttsch..
T. S. lirCCII, Alford 1 rCL;'dll'1;j
6 ovv &0 Omitted
uy Trech , T. 8.
Green Alford, Tregclles
6 "';TOU 1Iu
Olllitted by Lach. Tisch.,
T. S GreCH, Al(()ftl Tregel les
6 .". Rec
Omitted
by 'I'Isch T 8
Green, Alford. Trcgelles,

of the vineyard,
see
ilar manner i but they are /!:unrueu the description
the note, }'hltt xxi 3d,
agl1inst this by the precept, "When
2, 4, 5. a servant.-Here
again
ye stand praying, forrive if yo have
to his
ought against
any.'
1nstead
of we find Mnrk, according
praying for a curse on them, pray churucter istic method fixmg attenwhen
God to forgive them, and do 80 tion Oil a hingle individual
a plural I ty 1\ pre actually
engaged
yourself
in the trunsnct iun
(Sec Mutt xxi.
Hi Alltl/OT/fy
Demanded, 27-33, 34, .Hi, and corup note on Murk xi.
(Matt ni 203-32, Luke xx, 1-8)
:!) Luke, like ~I.u k, U808 the
,
'
ainzulnr
number
in this
pl.ice .
. Mark s repor~ of ,thiS c~mver~a- (Luke x x It)
tion ,1M al moxt Identlcal.wlth
~11lt4,5, another
servant.-The
in.
thew 8, lind th? render I~ referred crease of ~C\ er ity to" ard the servto the parallel In ~Iatthew fur com- \ ant, the first helng mel e ly beaten,
tnents,
the -ecoud bcinp( wounded
in the

0/

Parable
the WId ed Husbundmen, xii, 1-12
(~latt. xxi 3346 Luke xx 9-19)
,.

1. planted a vineyard. -

On

hC:ld \\ ith stones,

and the third
being killed, )!Ive~ the furce o.f a
climax to the description,
but points
to nu historical
feature in the significuuce uf the parable.
The serT-

MARK..

840

unto them, saying, They will

reverence my son. T But those
husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come,
let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they
took him, and killed him, and
cast him out of the vineyard.
What shall [therefore] the lord
of the vineyard do? he will come
and destroy the husbandmen,
and will give the vineyard unto
others. 10 And have ye not read
this scripture; The stone which
the builders rejected is become
the head of the corner: 11 this
was the Lord's doing, and it is
9 o~. &c. Omitted
Green, Alford.

by Tisch.,

T. S.

ants sent to the husbandmen represent the prophets who had been
sent to the Jews (note on Matt. xxi.
43), but there was no regular gradation in the persecutions which they
encountered.
7. the inheritance
shall
be
ours.-The
vine-dressers are here
represented as hoping to become
owners of the vineyard by slaying
the heir, If the heir were slain,
and the death of the ,Present owner
should leave them in possession,
they might hope to hold the vineyard as their own. There is nothmg corresponding to this purpose
in the dealing of the Jews with
Jesus, consequently it has no significance in the interpretation
of
the parable.
9, he will come and destroy.Mark represents Jesus as answering his own question, "What shall
the Lord of the vineyard do?" But
Matthew (xxi. 41) represents the
chief priests and scribes as giving
the uuswer. Doubtless the latter is
the more exact representation, and
Mark reports it as the answer of

[xii. 7-16.

]marvelous in our eyes? II And

sought to lay hold on him,
but feared the people: for they
knew that he had spoken the
parable against them: and they
left him, and went their way.
II And
they send unto him
certain of the Phar'isees and of
the Hero'dians, to catch him in his
words. I, And when they were
come, they say unto him, Master,
we know that thou art true, and
carest for no man: for thou reo
gardest not the person of men,
but teachest the way of God in
truth:
18 it lawful to give
tri bute to Cee'sar, or not r
16 Shall we give, or shall we not
.
'/
B
h k
.
h .
gJ\'e .
ut e, nowmg t eir

I they

Jeaus, because it was the answer

that he wanted, and because, when
it WII.B ~i\'en, he approved it,
10,11. The stone.-On the meaning and the application of this remark, see the note, Matt, xxi, 42.
12, for they knew.-The
parties
referred to are the ch ief priests and
scribes who had introduced this
conversation by asking him for his
authority
(xi. 27). They now
"sought to lay hands on him" -an
advance on the feeling of the previous day, when they" sought how
they m icht destroy him" (xi. 18) j
but the fear of the people WM still,
as then, in their way.
they left him.-Being
afraid to
lay hold of him, and being too
much exasperated to continue the
conversation with him, they went
away and devised the plot mentioned in the next paragraph.
Question about Tribute to Cresar,
13-17. (}Iatt. xxii. Ib-22; Luke
xx. 20-26.)
This raragraph contain. nothing
in addition to !olatihew'. revort of

l .ii. 16-28.]

MARK.

hypocrisy, said unto them, Why

tempt ye me? bring me a penny,
that I may see it. 18 And they
brought it. And he saith unto
them, Whose is this image and
superscription?
And they said
unto him, Cse'sar's,
IT And Je'BUS [answering] said [unto them],
Ilender to Cee'sar the things that
are Cre'sar's, and to God the
things that are God's. And they
marveled at him.
18 Then
come unto him the
Sad'ducees, which say there is no
resurrection;
and they asked
him, saying, 18 Master, Mo'ses
wrote unto us, If a man's brother
die, and leave his wife behind
him, and leave no children, that
his brother should take his wife,
and raise up seed unto his brother.
:Jf) Now there were seven brethren:
and the first took a wife, and
dying left no seed. 21 And the
.second
took her, and died,
[neither left he any: leaving no I
.seed : and the third likewise.
And the seven [had her, and]
left no seed r last of all the
17 .ltdl. 41fOKp,S.l.t ;, 'I. JUt. &. &~ 'I. Lach.
TIsch., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregel\es.
17 dTO'. Rec, Omitted by Tisch., T. 8.
{}reen, Alford.
21 .ca., O':'~f din"Of d"'~"f RLc. J.l.1) JCClT4
~. v T. B. Green,
Alford, Tregelles, X, B,
-e, L, .1, 33, c, Coptic.
22 iAa.l3ov ClVTl,V leell Ree. Omitted
by
Tisch., T. 8. Green, Allord, Tregel\es.

the same conversation j the reader

is therefore referred for comments
to the parallel in Matthew.

841

woman died also. In the resurrection

[therefore],
[when
they shall rise.] whose wife shall
she be of them? for the seven
had her to wife. I And J e'SUB
answering:
Je'SU,iJ I
said unto
them, Do ye not therefore err,
because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
06 For when they shall rise from
the dead, they neither marry,
nor are given in marriage; but
are as the angels which are in
heaven. :Ie And as touching the
dead, that they rise: have ye
not read in the book of Mo'ses,
how in the bush Gud spake
unto him, saying, I am the
God of A'braham, and the God
of I'saac, and the God of Ja'cob?
21 He
is not [the] God of the
dead, but [the God] of the living: ye [therefore] do greatly
err .
os And one of the scribes came,
and having heard them reason230ve Ree, OmItted
by TIsch . T. S
Green, Alford, Tregelles,
23 oTa .. Q.va.u'Twa~ Ree. Omi tted by T. S.
Green. Tregeiles, ~, B, C, L, A, etc., C, k, P.
Syriac, Coptir-, etc.
24 1(111. a.1TO/(ptel!i.~
0 'I."CTov( e""n'o o.il'ro"
Ree. ;1>77I1UTO;( (, '1. Tisch., T. 8. Green,
Alford, 'I'rcgclles.
27 "&c. OmItted by Lach., TlBch., T.
S. Green, Alford, TregeUe .
27 e,o< Reo. Omitted by Laeh., TlBCh.,
T. S. Green, Alford. Tregelles.
27 ."".
oue Rec. Omitted
by TIsch.,
T. 8. Green, Alford.

The Great Commandment, 28-34.

(Matt. xxii, 34-40.)

28. one of the 8cribes,-A clll\l'"

Question about th Resurrection, acteristic difference between Mat18-27. (Matt. xxii. 23-33 j Luke thew ann ~Ial'k is apparent at this
xx. 27-40.)
point. Matthew says, .. When the
For the discussion of this para- Phar isees had heard that he had
pph
allO, lee the parallel in Mat- put the Sadducees to silence, they
were gathered together," and h.
thew.

[xii. 29-34.

MARK.
iug together, and perceiving that
he had answered them well,
asked him, Which is the first
commandment
of all? 211 And
Je'sus answered him, The first
rof all the commandments] is,
IIear, 0 Is'rael j The Lord our
God is one Lord: 10 and thou
shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind,
and with all thy strength: [this
is the first corumandment.]
II I And the second is like, namely: Tlte second is I this, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thy29 naO'wv 'noV blTOAwv Rec.
Omitted
by
Tisch., T. S. Green, Alfur,\, Tregelles,
30 alrTl1 rrpwT1'j ,vToAJj Rec. Omitted
by
Tisch., T. S. Green, Alforcl, N, B, E, L, ~,
Coptic.
:ll .a' ..
oia Rec, Omitted by Tisch., T.
S. Green, A Hord.

represents "one of them who was

lawyer," as putting the question
about the great commandment.
Mark, pursuing his usual method
of selecting an individual from a
~.:oup of actors, says nothing of the
Pharisees, but sim~ly says" one of
the scribes cume " and put the
question.
(Comp. note, xi. 2, and
references there given.) The defeat
of the Sadducees by Jesus, had put
the Pharisees in a sufficiently, good
humor to make them feel like renewing the conversation which they
had abruptly terminated
a short
time previous,
(Verse l:l.)
first eommandment.e-Noe
the
first numerically, for this was well
known; but the first in point of importance.
29. The first.-In
quoting the
answer of .J esus, )'lrrrk reverses the
order of the first two sentences as
they are given by Matthew.
The
latter gives the commandment,
"Thou shalt love," etc., and then
the remark . This is diP first and
0.

self. There is none other commandment greater than these.

And the scribe said unto him,
'VeIl, Master, thou hast said the
truth: for I there is one God:
He is one I j and there is none
other but he: sa and to love him
with all the heart, and with
all the understanding,
[and
with all the soul,] and with all
the strength, and to love his
neighbor as himself, is more
than all whole burnt offerings
and sacrifices. s. And when ,Te'.
sus saw that he answered diserectly, he said unto him, Thou
art not far from the kingdom
32 a.b. Ree. Omit ted by Laeh., Tisch.,
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.
33 . , iE iiA~'
"'VX~. Ree. Omit
ted by T. S. Green, N. B. L, ol., ete., a,
Coptic.

T~'

great commandment;"
while Mark
makes the latter thought introductory to the former. This is an example of free quotation, in which,
for the sake of brevity, there is a
change in the order of the sentences
without the slightest change in the
meanirur

30.

ai. Thou

shalt love.-On

the two commandments,

notes, ).fatt. xxii. 36-40.

see the

32. 33. the scribe said to him.

-The
scribe had propounded his
question for the purpose of tempting Jesus (Matt. xxi]. 35); that is,
of testing his knowledge of the law.
But the answer which he received
was so luminous
and so self.
evidently true, that he at once exclaimed, "MaRter, thou hast said
the truth."
lie had the good sense,
too, to enlarge on the answer in a
very happy and forcible style.
Never was a would-be captivator
more unexpectedly captured.

34. not far from the kingdom.

-The

man's response arrested the

MARK.

xii, 35-37.]

of GO(l.
And no man after
that durst ask him any question.
M And
-Ie'sus answered and
said, while he taught in the
temple, How say the scribes
that Christ is the son of Da'vid?
116 [For]
Da'vid himself said by
the Holy Ghost, The LORD said
:16 yap

Ree,

Green, Alford.

OmiUM

by Tisch.,

T. S.

attention of Jesus.
It showed a
rendiness in perceiving the truth,
and a prornptness in accepting it,
which were surprising in one of
his class, and the more so from the
fact that he had been put forward
for the purpose of testing the Master with hurd questions.
With a
penetrating
but approving
look,
Jesus said to him, "Thou art not
far from the kingdom of God." The
obvious nieaning of this remark is,
that the mnn was in a condition to
very readily receive the kingdom.
it was perhaps also true that he
was not far from the kingdom in
point of time. It would be strange
If such a man did not immediately
enter the kingdom when it was
preached by the apostles on and
after Pentecost.
durst ask him any question.They dared not ask any more, because they were not willing to be
defeated as some of the questioners
had been, nor compelled to give ase~~ to his answer as the last one had
been, and they could hope for noth;>:>gbetter. Matthew introduces the
remark that no one uared to ask him
any more questions, at the close of
the next parnuraph, but Mark more
appropriately
introduces it here,
because this was the last question
which they propounded to him,
and the next r:::.ragraph discusses
one which
he propounded
to
~em.

to my Lord, Sit thou on my

right hand, till I I make thine
enemies thy footstool: put thi~
enemies beneath thy feet I. 8T Da'vid
rtherefore] himself calleth him
Lord; and whenee is he then
his SOil? And the common people hcard him gladly.
36 il1To1t68l.oV
Green, Alford,
37 oilv Rec.
Green, Alford,

Ret!.

iI'ft"OIC4TW

Tisch., T. 8.

Coptic, etc.
Omitted by Tisch.,
Tregellea.

B, D, 2B,

T. B.

The Lordship of the Christ, 35-37.

(Matt. xxii, 41-46; Luke xx.
41-44.)
35, 36.-Mark
omits the part
which the Pharisees played in this
conversation,
and gives but a
synopsis of the argl11uent made by
Jesus.
For remarks, see the notes
on the parallel in Matthew.
37. the common people heard
him gladly.-This
remark has
reference, not merely to the parUr
graph with which it is connected,
but to the entire discussion which
had occupied the day. But what
was true of the common people Ill!sembled then in Jr-rusalcm, was
equally true of those arnonz whom
he had taught in Galilee aud Perea.
It was only the elders, the chief
priests, the lawyers, and the !,cl'ibe~,
who did not hear him gladh.
To
these he appeared in the hbf1t of a
rival and au enemy, and he appeared thus only because he persisted
in exposing their errors and in
pressing un the attention of the
people truths which they rejected.
That the common people hear a
man gladly in our own age can not
be taken as a proof ill itself that
his teaching is like that of Jeeus,
yet he who is most like Jesus will
still he most gladly heard by the
common people. He who in any
great degree fails uf this must
have some most serious
jefeot

MARK.
101 And
he said unto them in
his doctrine, Beware of the
scribes, which love to go in long
clothing, and love salutations in
the marketplaces,
J8 and
the
chief seats in the synagogues, and
the uppermost rooms at feasts:
411 which devour widows' houses,
anti for It pretense make long
prayers:
these shall receive
greater damnation,
U And [Je'sus]
sat over against

Al "1
- R
~
~"our
te. 0 m 1tIe.."b y TIBeh .
T. S. Green. Alford. 'I'regellea,

\I.

Christ.

preacher

of the gospel

of

lxii.

38-44.

I the

treasury, and beheld how the

people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich
cast in much. Ann there came
a certain poor widow, and she
threw in two mites, which make
a farthing.
And he called
unto him his disciples, and saith
unto them, Verily I say unto
you, That this poor widow hath
cast more in, than all they which
have cast into the treasury:
U for all they did cast in of their
abundance; but she of her want
The Widow's

Mite, 41-44.
xxi. 1-4.)

(Luke

Ostentation alld Avarice of the

41. over against the treasury.
Scribes, ;)~-40.
(!lfatt. xxiii: -The
treasury
was the chest t
Luke xx. 45-47.)
other receptacle into which the
people cast the contributions which
38. Beware of the scribes.In this pnrngraph Mark quotes out the law of Moses required all uf
two sentences from a speech which them to bring when they came up
tiliR the entire twenty-third chapter to the annual festivals. (Deut. xvi.
.Iesua was sitting opposite
of Matthew.
Luke treats the sub- 16,17.)
ject in the same way, making the to this receptacle, and purposely
how the peovle cnst
same quotation almost verbatim. "beholding
(~ee the purullels.
For remarks on money into the treasury." In order
the thoughtR of verses 3R, 39, see that he might give a lesson on the
subject.
the notes, }latt. xxiii. 5-12.)
42. two mites.-Our
translators
40. devour widows' houses.This is 11 hyperhole to represent use the word" mite" for want of
the extreme avarice of the scribes. any term in En~li8h corresponding
The ).(rfed with which they de- to the original ().'rl1'ov). which is
fmucic'l \vi<lows is represented by the Greek name of a coin equal tn
the "tr"n~ fieure of eating up the about two mills of American money.
'I'he two mites, or lepta, which the
houses in which they lived.
for a pretense.-'l'o
keep up an woman contributed, were equal to
llppeamnce of piety which did not four mills. or a little le~' than half
"two
exrst.
As the prayers were made a cent. To the exprea-don
for this purpoc. and made long in lepta." Mark appends for the beneorder to more effe~tually accom- fit of his ROlUl\Dreaders the clause,
plish the purpose, they only added "which make a kodrauies " (innothe
to the wickedness which they were curately translated farthing);
designed to conceal. The damns- latter being II. Roman coin. and thr
tion was greater because the wick- Greek lepton. being unfamiliar
edness was grOl\ter. 80 it must where the Roman coins alone wer,
ever be with men who use the cloak in circulation.
43. 44. hath cast more in.c{ "eli"ioll to 8"M'A the devil ill

xiii, 1, 2.]

MARK.

did cast in all that she had, even what manner of stones and what
buildings are here 1 'And Je'sU8
all her living.
XIII I And IlB he went out [answermgJ said unto him, Seest
of the temple, one of his disci- 2 ''''.<p,9 Reo Omitted by TJscb T
'
ples saith unto him, Master, see 8 Green Alford, Tn gelles
to her abihty
in which to
estimate the value of contrrbutrons
,
first with reference
to the benevolent object on which the money IS
to be expended,
and second wnh
reference
to the spirrtu.il good re
suIting
to the contributor
E,tl'
mated
according to the former
standard
the larger
glft~ of the
ru.h were the more valuable
becauee they would accouiphsh
more
In Ioedmg the poor and III prO\ idmg for the expenses of the temple
But from the latter pOlllt of view,
the gIft of the v. ](10\\ W 18 greater
th.in all, because she actually p: 11 e
more In proportion
to her ulnlity,
and secured
to lwrself
Il IP cuter
blessmg at the h.ind of God
bhe
did voluntarily
\\ hat Jesus
had
vamly commanded
the rich young
ruler to do, thou~h poor herself,
she gave her all to feed the poor
bhe did thl~ too "hen
\lhe hud
only her WIdow S It mds w ith \I lnch
ttl earn
more
but he h.1(1 refused
thnujl;h he had the ,tl ength and
11I)!:,'nulty
of youlIll; manhood
to
gu"rd hun ag:unst Iuturo want
More

in proportion

There are two ways

A RG{;)IE'IT

OF

SECTION

r n this section the lnstorinn has

prl',ented
only one miracle, that of
\\ ithermg the barren fi~ tree
The
section
IS chiefly
taken
up w rth
eonversnnous
and
speecbes
In
which some of the pecuhar
teachinzs of .Iesus are set forth and In
which Ius superhuman
wisdom
IS
eonvprcuously
exhibited
I n the
eonverv.rtrons about hIS own authorIty the tn bute to Coesar, the resurreetion of the dead the grelll c m-

mandment,
and the Lordship
of
the Christ he not only Silenced hI!
enemies, so that no DIan dared to
ask hun any more qup"twns, but he
dr-played a wisdom \\ h n.h bas never
c~,Lscd to c(JZlImand the IIQllllIutlOT/
of wise and good 111\'1\ A II men,
In the presence
of hlB utter.inces
on these subjects
f~d tlIt m-olves
In contact w ith a mind \\ hu.h towers
'lbo\ e their 0\\ n a, the h, ,1\ ens ure
above the earth
TIH'Y contain
a
suhtrle but irresrsnhle
I r.".f thn]
he who spoke them was filled w lIb
a \\ isdom \I hich came down frorr
heaven
and such must be the CHr
deepening
convu.tron
of all who
dwell on them thoughtfully

SECTIO~ III
THB

DESTlIDVTION

OF TilE 'fIUlPLB

FORETOlD

XIII

Oocnvton
of the Pt edlr trou 1-4 ~1I1C\
Chrt'-ots,
Wara
l- u t uq un k es
nnd
l<amiHE'H, 5-H, j'f-)"tu utiou
of llJe
ll"clrleq,
9-1&, 11," L r-t "Ign and
the
I nne
lor I<1I,L1I1 14-lU, Other
Walnlng.
agatn-: ~ it- (1I11't"
212.1, Corning of the '-loll of lIau, M 1:1;
Parable
of the }<I.(-I , 2~1,
Uncertainty
of the Day,.J2-d7

Occa~lOn of
1-4 (Matt

the 1'/ eihrtian, xrii

XXIV
1-3, Luke xxi

5-7 )
1. as he went out.~";ee

OIl

~llltt

XXIV

the note

1, 2 Seest thou

-In
this pa&a str/kl1lg mstance of
the difference between the style of
Mark and that of )! Itt hew
Mark
IS more 8),(,Clfic SII\ ITIg that
"one
of hre discrplee ' said
Mseter, see
what manner
of stones and what
bUlldmgs are here"
and that JesU8

Rage

we see

[xiii, 3-8.

MARK.

M6

thou these great buildings? there I deceive you: e [for] many shall
shall not be left one stone upon come in my name, saying, I am
another, that ..hall not be thrown I Christ j lind shall deceive many.
down. a Awl as he sat upon the And when ye shall hear of wars
mount of Ol'ives over against the and rumors of wars, be yo not
temple, Pe'ter and James and, troubled: [for] such things must
John and An'drew asked him I needs be; but the end shall not
privately, Toll us, when shall be yet, 8 For nation shall rise
these things be? and what "hall against nation, and kingdom
be the si~n when all these things against kingdom: [and] there
shall be fulfilled?
shall be earthquakes in divers
6 And .Ie'sus \answering them
began to say: began to .~ay to 6 yap Rec Omitted by Tisch., T. 8.
Green, Alford
iliem. \, Take heed lest any man
7 yap Reo OmItted by Tisch., T. 8.
Green, Alford
8 'a, Rec omuted
by Tlsch., T. 8
') alTO'p,e, Rec Omitted by Tisch., T

I'

S Green, Alford, Tregcllc s

Green, Alford,

"said to him, Seest thUll,"

etc,
while Matthew, in his more indefinite manner, says th.it " his disciples " caned his attention to the
burldings,
and that he said "See ye
not all these thinu 1" (COlllp ~Iltt
xxiv 1, 2, anJ see the note xi 2)
3. Peter and James. -Here
again Mark is more specific than
Matthew; for the latter says, "the
disclple~ came to him privately,"
while Mark states that it was
"Peter, James, John, and Andrew"
This is one time that Andrew was
in comprny
with tho "cho.en
three," when they were apart from
the other disciples, but even now
he is separated, in the arran/!ement
of the names, from his hrother Peter,
and put last, as being the least conspicuous of the four

ticulnr part of the mountain on

which he snt-thnt part immediately
opposite the temple, from which he
could therefore hal'O !L full view of
the temple wh ile discoursing on its
future dcstrucnon
4. when ... what.-As in the
report of Matthew, the question of
the disciples contains two distinct
points of inquiry; first, " When shall
these
things 10?"
and second,
"What shnll be the .<lgn when all
these thing;~ shall be fulfilled?"
Jesus
an-swers
the latter much
more definitely than the former,
as will be seen from the following paragraphs

These words, appended to the statement th.rt Jesus "sat on the Mount
of Olives," have be(,11 construed
a.,
indicatinz to Gentile readers that
the Mount of Olives was "over
against the temple" But the Mount
of Olives extended north and south
IU! far as the walls
of the entire
city, and we think the true design
of the words, "over against the
temple," was to designate the par-

5. lest any man deceive yon.The false Christa who were to come
while propedy viewed, would furni-h proof of the prophetical powers
of .Iesus, and thus confirm the faith
of the d isciplos in him, but if Dot
thus viewed they would be likely to
deceive, hence thl~ warning

over

against

the

temple.-

Tregclles.

False Christs, Wars, Eartkquakes,

and Famines, 5-8 (Matt. xxiv
4-8, Luke xxi. 8-11 )

6-8.

many

shall come.-OL

the historical ful fillment of the pr .

dictions contained in these verael

s:.iii. 9- i4. J

MARK.

847

[and] there shall be I whatsoever shall be given you in

[and troubles]: these that hour, that speak ye: for it
are the beginnings of sorrows.
is not ye that speak, but the
But take heed to yourselves: Holy Ghost. 11 Now the brother
[for] they shall deliver you up shall betray the brother to death,
to councils; and in the SYlla- and the father the son; and the
gogues ye shall be beaten: and children shall rise up against
ye shall be brought before rulers their parents, and shall cause
and kings for my sake, for a them to be put to death. 11 And
testimony against them. 10 And ye shall be hated of all men for
the gospel must first be published my name's sake: but he that
among all nations. n But when shall endure unto the end, the
they shall lead you, and deliver same shall be saved.
you up, take 110 thought beforeI, But
when ye shall see
hand what .ve shall speak, the abomination of desolation,
[neither do ye premeditate: 1 but [spoken of by Dun'iel the proph8.al
s.
Omitted by Tisch., T. s. et,J standing
where it ought lIot,
Green, Allord.
(let him that readoth under"Kat
Tapa.AaL Rec, Omitted
bv Lach.,
d
T S. Green, Tregelles, B, D. L,Oid Latin. stan ,) t11C11 let them that be in
places,

famines

Vuluate, t optic, "EthiopIC.

!l yap Rec
Omitted
by Tisch.,
T. S.
Green , Alford, n, L, ("OptIC, }EthlO!'iC.
11 /JoT/Oe ,IoLt"AE'TIl.n: Rec Omitted
.y T. S.
Green, Trcgelles,
N, s, D, L, etc., Old
Lauu, Vulgate, Coptrc, etc.

14 Tb i>.,,8EV V1TO

.6.(U'lJ]A.

Toii

ftPO<PlJTOlJ

Omitted by Tiscn., T. S. Green,

Trpgel1e"', t{. E, D, L, Vulgate,
Armeiuun,
etc.

Ree.

Alford,
Copuc,

cause they were as well suited to

this discourse as to that.
'l'h is appears not only from the fact that
Persecution of the Disciples, 9-13. Mark quotes them as being uttered
(~[att xxiv. 9-14; Luke xxi. on this oocavion, but from the fact
[2-19 )
that Matthew, in the parnlh-l paragraph, quotes language tlwt is mani9, take heed to yourselves.The disciples were not only to watch fostlv hut an abbreviation uf what
carefully for the preceding signs, .Mari{ quotes 1110re fully He quotes,
but to keep watch on themselves, .Then shall they dl'll\ PI you up to
lest the temptations
which are about be nfilieted, and shah kill vou , and
for
to be named should overcome them. vou shnll he huted of alln~tiom
to councils. - The predictions ~ny name's sake" C!.latt xxiv \)
the gospel , .. publiehed=contained in verses 9-13 have an
aIm OFt exact verbal parallel in Matt, For remark" on this prediction, bee
x, 17-22, where all of them are the note under Matt xxiv 14, and
of the other
found except the one in verst' II, for an e~positi"n
that "the gORpel must first be clauses of this paragraph. see under
[lllbli!lhed among all nations."
In Matt. x. 17-22, and XXIV ~
that Ilj,IC(, .lesus WI1S addrcssinz his
The Lat Siflll, and the Tmle for
dIR("i[<lp~ ("oncerning their future
Fliatit, 14-20. (~latt XXIV. 15[al",r~ as apustles
It is not a mis22: Luke xxi 20-24)
take in ~[ark to reproduce these
This paragraph is almost identical,
~redi('ti"n" here; for doubtless Jesee the two paragraphs
xxiv 4, 5, and 6-8.

'us

himself

reproduced

under Matt.

them

be-

both in

thought

and in

verbiage,

[xiii. 1[)-27.

MARK.

J udse'a flee to the mountains:

and let him that is on the housetop not go down nut? the house],
neither enter tlteTetlt, to take
Any thing out of his house:
.1 and let him that is in the field
not turn back again for to take
up his garment.
It But
woe to
them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those
days!
IS And
pray Y" I that
your flight: it I be not in the
winter.
Ii For
in those days
shall be affliction, such 118 WII8
not from the beginning of the
creation which God created unto
this time, neither shall be.
II And except
that the Lord had
shortened those days, no flesh
should be saved: but for the
elect's sake, whom he hath
chosen, he hath shortened the
days.
,I And
then if any man shall
U

15 .if riJ. oi 11. Omitted by T. S.

Green, N, B, L, 61, c, k, P. Syriac, Coptic,

e'f8
~ 4>uy~ "1'" he. Omitted by Lach.,
Tl.ech., T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles, ~,
B, D, L, ete., Old Latin, Vulgate,

Armenian.

with the parallel in Matthew, where

eee the notes.

say to you, Lo, here is Christ:

[or,] 10, he is there; bel,ieve him
not: II for false Christa and
false prophets shall rise, and
shall shew signs and wonders, to
seduce, if it were possible, reven]
the elect. II But take ye heed:
[behold,] I have foretold you all
things.
Ii But in those days, after
that
tribulation,
the Bun shall be
darkened, and the moon shall
not give her light, 26 and the
stars of heaven shall fall, and
the powers that are in heaven
shall be shaken. II And then
shall they see the Son. of man
coming in the clouds With great
power and glory. IT And then
shall he send I his: the I angels,
and shall gather together I his:
the I elect from the four winds,
21 ~ hr.

Omitted

by

Ttsch.,

T. S.

G~~e~~,A~~~. Omitted
by Tl8ch., T. S.
Green, Alford.
23 i60~ Ree. Omitted
by Tisch., T, 8.
Green, Alford, Tregelles.
~7 ""TO'; Ree. Omitted by Tisch., T. 8.
Green, Alford, Tregellea,

days'"
while Luke has at this
pomt' no note of time. The two expressions used by Matthew nnd
Other
Warnings
against. False Mark are equivalents, and they are
Christa, 21-23. (Matt. XXIV.23alike indefinite. For their meaning,
28.)
and for comments on the other
All of this paragraph, and more items of the prediction, see the
on the same subject, is given by parallel in Matthew.
Matthew. See the parallel for com27. of the earth .. of heaven.
ments.
-The
singular expression, "from
Coming of the Son of Man, 24-27. the uttermost part of the earth to
the uttermost part of heaven," i8
(Matt. xxiv. 29-31 j Luke xxi.
taken from the ancient conception
25-~8.)
of the earth as a VlI.8tplain extend21. in those days,-Matthew
in- ing in length from east to west, and
dicates the time of the second com- in width from north to south, and
Ing by the e.xpre~~ion, "Immediatell,
terminating where earth and sk,
aft'!r tho tribulation of those days j
come together.
From the utmoat
~l\rk.
hy the words, "In thole part of the earth, in one direction.

xiii. 28-31.]

MARK.

from the uttermost part of the

earth to the uttermost part of
heaven.
Now learn a parable of the
fig tree; When her branch is yet
tender, lind putteth forth leaves,
ye know that summer is near:
80 ye in like manner, when ye
to the remotest part of the sky
where it touches the earth on the
other, is the nieanimr of the expresIlion. Matthew
employs as an
equivalent expression, "from the
four winds, from one end of heaven
to the other."
Parable of the Fig-tree, 28-31.
(Matt. xxiv, :i2-:i5; Luke xxi.
29-33. )

29. shall see these things.-

The meaning of this parable is fully

set forth in the notes on the parallel
in Matthew, and we might content
ourselves with referring the render
to those notes; but Mark's application of the parable furnishes an independent argument in support of
the interpretation there given, and
at the risk of some repetition in
thought, we present this argument.
In the words of verse :.!\), "when ye
shall see these things, know that it
is nigh, even at the door," the pronoun it" is not expressed in the
0riginal, hut understood, and the
antecedent of the pronoun is either
Son of man," in verse 27, or the
noun" cominl!;," in the expression
" coming of the Son of man."
I t is
more reasonable, as we have shown
in our note Oil the parallel verse in
Matthew, to refer it to "Son of
man," and to render the clause,
know that he ia nigh, even at the
door." Whether It he " he" or his
"coming," however, the meaning is
the same. The statement of verse
29, then, when expanded, is this:
When you shall see these things
nome to PIIJIII, know that he (the

349

I shall see these things come to

pass, know that it is nigh, even
at the doors. 10 Verily I say
unto you, that this generation
shall not pass, till all these things
be done. 11 Heaven and earth
shall pll88 away: but my words
shall not pass away.
Son of man) is nigh, even at the
door." In this statement, the events
designated as "these things" are
distinguished from his coming, so
that when they saw" these things,"
his coming would still be in the
future, but they would know him to
be near. But his coming had been
a part, the last part of the preceding series of prediction", and consequently we must construe the expression" these things" as confined
to things mentioned that shall pre
cede his coming. This being the
case, when Jesus immediately adds,
This generation shall not pass till
all these things be done," we must
understand" these things" with the
same Jimitation as before; that is,
as not including, but as excluding
the coming of the Son of man. All
the thing8 predicted in the previous
discourse, then, except this last
event, were to be done before that
generation passed away; and when
they were all done the coming of
the Son of man was to be still in
the future.
Thus we reach the
same conclusion from Mark's report
as from Matthew's, and by the
snme method of reasoning.
Luke's
report differs from those of Mutthew and Mark, in not repeating
the exrres~ion "these things," and
in saymg, .the kingdom of God is
nigh at hand," instead of saing,
" he is nigh, even at the door.' Rut
by .the kingdom of God," Luke
evidently means the kingdom in its
glory, the appearing of which is
the same as the appearing of the
Son of man; and although he doe.

MARK.

360

12 But
of that day
and: or I
that how' knoweth no man, no,
Dot the angels which are in
heaven, neither the Son, but the
Father.
13 Take
ve heed, watch
[and pray]
fiJr' ye know not

when the time is,

[xiii. 32-35.

far journey, who left his house.

and gave authority
to his servants, [and] to every man hia
work, and commanded
the porter to watch.
16 \Vatch
ye therefore: for ye know not wnen the

,. For the master of the lwuse cometh, at

Son of man is as a man taking

a even, or at midnight,

or at the

3~ Ka, }!Pc. ~ Lnch., Tisch., T. S. Green,

cock-crowing, or in the morning:
Ali, rd. Tregel les,
33 /Cal TfPOO"t;VX,fCT8t
Ree.
Omitted
by
Lach., 'I'isch., T. S. Green, Alford, B, D,
34 Kal Ree, Omitted by Lach., TIsch.,
12:1,a, c, It.
T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

that foreknowledge, even in part, is

not implied conccrnin? man. The
declaration that the Son knows it
not, is more eurpr ising, but we must
accept it as true. It shows that one
of the limitations which he nssumed
ill becoming the Sun of man, was a.
limitation on his foreknowledge.
lie knew, for he predicted, every
detail in reference to his second
coming except the time at which it
will take place; on this point all of
his utterances are indefinite, and
even those which, at first glance,
appear to be definite, must, as we
have seen above (verse 24), bA construed indefinitel v.
34. a man taking a far jourUnrertaintq of the Day, 32-37.
under the figure of a
Matt. xxiv. 36-42 j Luke xxi. 34- ney,-Here,
man who ~tarts on a journey to
36.)
some distant place, leaving his serv32, of that day or hour,-The
ants each his work to do, and CUInday and hour referred to can be no mnnding the porter, as his work, to
other than the day and hour of the I keep watch, .lesus indicates plainly
chief event among those last men- his own departure from the earth,
tinned, the coming of the Son of and teaches the lesson which
man. The disciples were to know, naturally
springs from the preby the signs gi,-en, when it would viously stated uncertainty 1\.8 to the
be near, but not exactly when it day of his return.
Each UJIl>ltbe
would be.
always busily engaged at his proper
not the angels
. . . neither I work, that the master muy 80 lind
the Son.-The
statement that no them when he returns.
man knoweth of that day, no, not
35, 36. find you sleeJ>ing.-In
the angels whieh al'e in heaven," is these verses the parable IS applied.
not to be construed us implying that and vet the parabolic language it
angels have some fureknowledge;
still kept up. AM the apostles were
ror the same is said of man that is ] to occupy a position in the Church
aid of the angels, and we know' more like that of the porter i.~.
not rereut the expression these
things, he does wliat is equivalent
to it, he uses the adjective" all "
with these things" understood.
Ilis language is this: When ye
see these thi fI!l" corne to pass, know
ye that the kingdom of God is nigh
at hand.
Verily I say unto you,
this p;eneration shall not pass away
till all he fulfilled." Thus Luke's
more obscure report of the remark
in quest.ion, understood, as it should
be, in the light of the more perspicuous reports of Matthew and
Mark, readily yields the same
idea.

xiii. 36-xiv. 2.]

.MARK.

351

"lest coming suddenly he find priests and the scribes sought

you sleeping. 81 And what I say how they might take him by
unto you I say unto all, \Vatch. craft, and put him to death.
XlV. I After two days was the S I But: For i they said, Not on
feal't of the passover, and of 1I112 Si Rec. -yap Lach., Tlscb., T. 8. Green,
leavened bread: and the chief Alford,
Tregelles.
supposed
castle, he tells them to the course of events in their own
keep watch all through
the night,
national history, and to say whether
lest at any hour he should come and its predictions
proved true or false.
find thero asleep.
Let us not con- No ~eneration
has lived that was RO
elude, that by watching
is meant
competent
to expose a failure had it
that we shall stand
with
folded occurred,
or that would have done
hands looking into the sky for the so more engorly.
But the events, ns
coming of .Iesus : this would be like they transpired,
turned the prophecv
the ancient
porter;
but this is the into hi~t(\rv, and demonstrated
thOe
symbol,
not the reality.
\Ye are foreknowledge
of Jesus.
(Comp.
rather
to be d iligently
engaged,
the note on Matt. xxiv. 21, 22, find.
each about the work given him to the Argument
of that section.)
Jk!
do, and keep our eyes fixed on it; if Jesus possessed
this foreknow]thus we will he most wisely watch- edge, his claim to be tl.e Christ the
ful for the corning of our Master.
Son of God was mirneulously
attest
37. I say unto all.-Lest
the ed thcreby;
and even his admisapostles
should
conclude
that the sion that he knew not the day or
parable applied exclusively
to them- the hour of his own second coming,
selves, and lest others should fall detracts nothing from the argument;
into the same
mistake,
he says for foreknowledge
is still displayed,
plainly that it applies to all.
We notwithstanding
this limitation
of
may not live to see him come, but it, and the limitation itself is known
we will be benefited
none the less only by Lis own voluntary
admisby watching, for our departure to sion-an admission which is a singu.
him will be the same in effect as his lar and conclusive proof of his percoming to us.
. feet honesty lind candor.
ARGUMENT OF SECTION 3.

In this section
Mark sets forth
his Mnster as a proJ;het.
At the
time that his narrative
was composed,
some
of the predictions
recorded in the section had already
heen fulfilled,
but the chief part
was vet in the future.
He staked
the validity
of his argument,
and
the reputation
of Jesus as a prophet,
partly on the former, but chiefly on
the predictions
which were yet to
be fulfilled, and fulfilled before the
eyes of the then living generation.
The discourse,
as he wrote it out,
contained
in itself 0. challenge
to
tho.t genoration
of Jews to watch

SECTION

IV.

PREPARATIONS FOR TilE DEATH

JESt:S, XIV.
1-52.

OP

Connell oftllPChlprPrtest.and
!-lcrlbps,
1,2; Thf~ A ll()lllti1\~
nt Be t hu n y , 3-9;
'l'he Agrpt>tllPlIt
with JUdfl~, 10, 11:
Thp Pa"nvpr
Pi-e pared, 12-16' Th~
Bet rayn l Prpui<'k<l, 17-21; 'flip {~ord'.
HUP!Jf>T In'5tit111f'd,
22-25; l)PReltjon
and
Dental
FnrNo\u,
2t\-;l1; Tbe
Agony
iu Get usemaue,
;;2-42; The
Arrest, 43-52.

Council of the Chief Priest, and

Scribes, xiv, 1, 2. (Mo.tt. xxvi.
1-5; Luke xxii. I, 2.)

1,
detail

2.-Mark
here goes leM! into
than ~latthew.
He simpl}

[xiv. 3-9.

MARK.
the feast day, lest there be an
uproar uf the people.
AIH\ being in Bethany in the
house uf Simon the leper, 118 he
sat at nu-ut, there came a woman
having an alabaster box of ointment uf spikenard very precious;
[and] she brake the box, and
poured it on his head.
' And
there were some that had indignation
within
themselves,
[and said,'] Why was this waste
of the uintment made? I For it
3 .,,' Re.c. Omitted
by Tisch., T. S.
Green, Alford.
4 .,,' A.yov,
&0. Omitted by 'I'isch.,
T, S. Green, Alford, !'t, D, C, L, Coptic.

atates the fact that it was now two

days to the Passover, while Matthew represents Jesus as remindin,.; his disciples of this fact, and
telling them that then he would be
crucified. Mark also mentions the
bare fact that" the chief priests and
the scribes sought how they might
tnke him by craft, and put him to
death;" whilo Matthew describes a
formal assemblage for this consultation at the palace of Caiaphas. (See,
for notes, the parallel in Mutthew.)
Luke is briefer still than Mark,
The Anointill,q
(Matt, xxvi.
1-9.)

at Bethany, 3-9,
6-13; John xii.

For a discussion of the chief

points in this incident, we refer the
reader to the notes on the parallel
in Matthew, but Mark furnishes a
few graphic touches which we must
notice here.
3, she broke the bOX,-The box
wus doubtless the small vnse of
alubuster, then in common use,
which had a very small neck, intended to emit but a drop nt a time
of the very costly ointment; but the
woman, wish ing to lavish it all on
.Jesull. broke off the neck and poured

might have been sold for more

than three hundred pence, and
have been given to the poor.
And they murmured against her.
e And Je'sus said, Let her alone;
why trouble ye her? she hath
wrought a good work on me.
T For ye have the poor with you
always, and whensoever ye will
ye may do them good: but me
ye have not always. e She hath
done what she could: she i.e
come aforehand to anoint
body to the burying. '[ButJ

mr

9 al Added by Tisch.,
ford, Tregclles.

T. S. Green,

AI.

it freely on his head, and, as John

adds, on his feet. (John xii. 3.)

5, three

hundred

pence,-Ae

usual, the word rendered" pence"

is denarios, the Greek form of the
Latin denarius.
This coin Leing
eq ual to fifteen cents in Federal
money, the estimated value of the
ointment was more than forty-five
dollars.
Its costliness is further
seen in the fact stated by John that
there was only one pound of it.
(John xii, 7,)
8. what she could.e-Jeeue here
expresses in a most beautiful and
touching manner, the weakness of
~larJ in the presence of the ar~
palhng calamity which she foresaw.
Believing that her Lord was about
to perish as he had so often predieted, she was willing to do all in
her power to lessen a calamity
which she could not avert. In her
weakness, she could do nothing
more than to lavish on him this
costly token of her undying -love.
Jesus accepted the tribute, ineffcctuul 8.S it WIlS, and exclaimed, ""he
has done what she could." What
a blessed encomium I And Ulay
not the same indulgent Lord Bay
of us, when we meet him in the
I great
day, These were feeble chilo

(lV.

10-16.]

MARK.

Verily I say unto you, Where- [and saith unto them, Go ye into
soever this gospel shall be preach- I the city, and there shall meet
ed throughout the whole world, you a man bearing a pitcher of
this also that she hath done shall water: follow him. 10 And wherebe spoken of for a memorial of soever he shall go in, say ye to
her.
the goodman of the house, The
10 And J u'das Iscar'iot,
one of Master saith, Where is )the: my)
the twelve, went unto the chief gucstchamber. where I shall eat
priests, to betray him unto them. the passover with my disciplos f
11 And
when. they heard it, they 16 And he will shew you a large
were glad, and promised to give upper room furnished and prehim money. And he sought how pared: [and] there make ready
he might conveniently betray for us. 16 And his disciples went
him.
forth, and came into the city,
U And the first day of unleavand found as he had said uuto
ened bread, when they killed the them: and they made ready the
passover, his disciples said unto passover.
him, Where wilt thou that we'
go and prepare that thou mayest
14
Added by Tisch., T. B. Green.
Alford, Tregelles, N. B, C, D, L, 4, ete., a, f,
eat the passover?
II And
he g, 1, etc., Vulgate, etc.
1."
th t
f hi .J' I
15 ., Added by Tisch., T. S. Green,
sen d e th lor
wo 0 IS IlISClP es, Allord, Tregel les.
jl.00

dren, that were not able to do much leavened hrend," see the note on
for me, but they have done what Matthew xxvi. 17. The day is here
they could. Angels can do no better, still more closely identified by the
though they may do more.
modifying expression, "when they
killed"the passover." This wu- done
The Agreement with Judas, 10, 11. at the close of the fourteenth day
(~!att. xxvi, 14-16; Luke xxii. of the month, the Passover wer-k he3-6.)
ginning at sunset the same evening,
which was the dividing point be10, 11, they were glad,-Mark
brings out the fact, implied hut not tween the fourteenth and the fifo
axpressed in Matthew's account, teenth days of the month.
13, 14. a man bearing a pitchthat the chief priests were glad
when Judas proposed the betrayal. er,-Matthew re-rresents .Iesus llo8
This was more than they could ex- sayin~ to the disciples, "Go into the
to such a man."
Tbis is
pect, for they must have supposed city
that the friends of Jesus would he evidently an indefinite abbreviation
of the direction more aecumtl'll,
true to him. I'or notes on the reo stated
hy ~lurk, the" such 1\ man'
rnuinder of the paragraph, see the of
Matthew being the man whom
parallel in Ma.tthew.
thov would see beur ina a pitcher of
'I'hev were to follow him
Th e P assot'er Prepared,. ]2-16. water.
. t
I
hi'
t
d
d
M
t
.
1
19
L
k
..
7
In
o
wnutever
ouse 1< ell ere ,an
(13 a)t. XXVI.
; u e XXII. - there deliver their message.
.
, 15. he will show you.-The
12. first da.y of unleavened I most remurkable foreknowl~d!;e.is
bread.-On the sense attached to here displayed. That the disciples
the expression "first day of un- I would meet a man bearing a pitcher
30

854

[xiv, 17-2:),

~IARK.

n And
in the evening he
cometh with the twelve. 18 And
as they sat and did eat, Je'sus
said, Verily I say unto you, One
of vou which eateth with me
shall betrnv me. u rAnd] they
IJPgan to be sorrowful, and to
say unto him one by one, Is it I?
[and another said, Is it
10 And
he [answered and] saia
unto them, It is one of the
twelve, that dippeth with me in
the dish. .1 The Son of man indeed ~oeth, as it is written of
him: but woe to that man by

In

whom the Son of man is betra yed! good [were it] for that
man if he had never been born.
n And as they did eat, [J e'sus]
took bread, and blessed, and
brake it, and $!lve to them, and
said, Take, Leat:] this is IU y
body. "And he took I the: a I
cup, and when he had given
thanks, he gave it to them: and
they all drank of it. "And he
said unto them, This is my blood
of the [new] testament, w hich L~
shed for many. S6 Verily I say

21 ~v he.
Omitted
by T\.sch., T. 1:1.
Green, Alford.
22 ;, 'I~<7o;;, Ree. Omitted by Tisch., T.
19 0' Of RfC. Omitted
by Tisch., T. S. S. Green, Alford.
Green, Alford.
22 .pa~'T< Rec. Omitted by Lach , Ttsch.,
19 /flU uAA.o~, Mljn ryw; Rec.
Omitted by T. S. Green, Alford, Tregelles.
T. R. Green, Tregelles,
N. B, C, L, P, A, etc.,
2:1 TO Ree. Omitted by Lach., TiBCh., T.
VulKR teo P. synac,
Ph. Syriac, Coptic,
S. Green, Alford, Tregelles,
salu.u, ..Ethiopic. etc.
24
Rec. Omitted by Tisch., T.8.
20 Q.lI'ol(p~9~'~ Rec. Omitted
by Lach.,
GreCH, Alford, Tregelles,
~t
B, C, D, L, k,
Tisch., T. S. GreCH, Alford, Tregelles,
Coptic.

.a,v~,

of water, and that he would carry

it into some house, might be guessed
with a good degree of probability;
but that he would enter a house
whose owner had an upper room,
"a large" upper room, and a large
upper room "furnished
and prepared; . and that said owner would
show the disciples this room and
allow them the use of it, could
be known only by means of divine
foresiuht
We must admit this foresi;.;ht,""or' cleny th~ truthfulness of
this record.
For other remarks on the paragrllph, eee the parallel in Matthew.

----------------------

therefore refer the reader to the

parallel in Matthew for my comments on the paragraph.
The Lord's Supper Instituted, 2225. (Matt. xxvi. 26-29; Luke
xxii. 19,20; 1 Cor. xi. 23-25.)

23. they all dr!l-uk.-Matthew

~uot~s Jesus as S~yl~,g of. the cup,
D.rl~lkye all of It;
while illurk,
omrtting these words of Jesus,
states th.at they alJ drank of. it.:'
Thus agam the one account mCIdentally supplements the other.
~4. shed f~r many,:- Mark
omits, after this expression, the
The Betrayal
Predicted,
17-21. words "for the remission of sins"
pIatt. xxvi. 20-25; Luke xxii. (Matt. xxvi. 26), which declare to
what end the blood of Jesus was
21-23; John xiii, 21-30.)
"shed for many," presuming on the
John gives by far the most mi- information of his readers in regard
nute report of this conversation, to the design of Christ's death,
Although he omits some details
With the exception of the poinJ
.hich are mentioned by Matthew. of difference just noted, the parn.
:htthew' 8 report ineludes all that graph is identical in thought and
is mentioned by Mark and Luke, nearly so in verbiage with tha.t of
.n~ some additional particulars; I Matthew, where see the notes.

I"

1\1ARK.

day, even in this night, before

the cock crow twice, thou shalt
deny me thrice. n But he 8ph3.e
[the more 1 vehemently, If I
should die witn thee, I will not
deny thee in any wise.
Likewise also ~aid they all.
"And they caine to a place
which was named Gethsern ane:
and he saith to his disciples, Sit
ye here, while I shall pray.
n And he taketh with him I'e'ter
and James and John, and began
to be sore amazed. and to be
very heavy; and saith unto
them, 1\1y'soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death:
tarry ve
here, and watch. 86 And he 'weilt
forward a little, and fell OIl the
ground, and prayed that, if it
were possible, the hour might

unto you, I will drink no more

of the fruit of the vine, until
that day that I drink it new in
the kingdom of God.
18 And when they had sung an
hymn, they went out into the
mount of Ol'ives,
2'1 And Je'sus
saith unto them, All ye shall be
offended [because of me] [th.s
nigh t]: for it is written, I will
smite the shepherd, and the sheep
shall be scattered.
.8 But after
that I am risen, I will go before
you into Gal'ilee. II But Pe'ter
said unto him, Although all
shall be offended, yet will not 1.
so And J e'sus saith unto him,
Verily I say unto thee, That this
27 tV /I'U' }/Ir. Omitted by TIsch., T. S.
Green, Alford, '1regelles, N, B, C, Dr H, L, 8,
V, X, P, ~, eto,
2i iv 'Tn V1JK'Ti. TQ.UTP Ref". Omitted
by
'I'isc-h., T. 8. Green, A ford, Tregelles, N, B,
oC, V, 0, 11, L, 8, V, X, I', ~,

850

~1 I'ciAAov Rec. Omitted

Green, Alford, Tregellcs.

etc.

Desertion and Denial Foretold, 2631.

(lIlatt. xxvi, 30-35; Luke
nii. 31-38; John aiii. 36-38.)

by Laeh,

T. 8.

one cock crows in the morning, he

is always followed by others in rapid
succession, saw fit to employ the
30, crow twice.-Only
in th is ex- less definite style to indicute the
pression i.there !lny thing in Mark's same time of night,
account so different from Matthew's The A,qo1lY in Geth.emaue, 32-42.
as to call for a remark.
All the
(Matt. xxvi, 36-46; Luke xxii,
other historians report Jesus a8
39-46; John xviii. 1.)
suying, "before the cock crow thou
shalt deny me thrice," or, .the cock
33. sore amazed.This vl!ry
shall not crow" before thou shalt forcible expression is used by Mark,
deny me thrice, while Mark has it, where Matthew employs the milder
before the cock crow twice, thou term" sorrowful." "~ore amazed,"
shalt deny me thrice."
This is no and" very heavy," are expressions
other than an inetance in which hy whicli Mark vainly attempts to
Mark reports with more exactness: convey to us the immensity of the
a speech which the other historians weight that just then overburdened
report in terms less definite, but i the Savior's heart.
having in effect the same meaning. I 35, the hour might
pass.Doubtless, Mark quotes the exact 1 Here the hour is put bv metonymy
words of J esus ; but the other writ- for the suffering whicfl was to fill
ers, knowing that the object of the I up the hour, and Mark beautifully
mention of cock-crowing was to in- I sap. he prayed that, if it were
dicate the time at which the denial possible, the hour might pass from
would occur. and knowing that when I him." Th is i" Il geneml stntemenr
I

868

MARK.

pa from hnu, "And he surd,

Abb i, Father,
.rll things
are
po-o-rble unto thee, take away
till' cup from 111(>' nevertheless
not \\ hat I will, but \1 hat thou
wilt
ST Ant!
he cometh. and
fillll! th them sleeping, .llId saith
unto Pe'ter,
bl 111011,
sleepe-r
thou) couldest not thou watch
one hour t
18 \Vatch
) e and
JlI IY, lest ) e entc r mto ternptanon
The .pmt truly I~ ready,
bill the tle...h h W(,11,. soAnd
ag un he went I\\\.IY, .1IIt! pr iy ed,
and spake
the
- une words,
'" \ntl
whr II he n.un nerl, he
found th{ III asleep ,lg.tIIl, (Ior
t lu ir
cs IHI e he l\) ,) neither
II
1\ i-t t II~Y \\ It It to answer III Ill.

e,

[XlV.

36-44.

In .\.IHl ]1(' cometh

the third time,

aIHI s.uth unto them. Sleep (In
I now,
and t.rk e your rc st , It 18
enough, the hour I" come, beI hold, the bOIl ot man I' betrayed
IIItn the hand, of -runers
RIB!!
I tip, let ll~ go; 1o, he that hetr.I}'
I etl:
me 18 at h mel
"\llll uunu diatelv , while he
I v et 'P Ike, cometh J u tid."! [fRear'.
wt]. one of the twelve, aIHI with
hun a [ga It] multitude
with
~\\ 'II d" and ,t rves, from the clnef
pi ie...ts .md the scribes and the
rid! ro
And he that betrayed
11lIn had given them a token,
I

41.

i.K.p,wq, ~dded by Lach

TIsch
(,reen Word
)f.A" Rec
Omitted by TIsch
r 8
Green Alhml J n gel les
T "

----------------------

(If w h It he pm;ed for introductorv

to the ruorc ~1)P"lh(' statement
of
the pctrtion
\\ 1111h he (Ifiel ed
(See
\loltt \. ", I 3'1 42 +! )

~('C'ond tune that they knew

not
w h It to BdY III answer
to his reproof
41 it 1S enough -After
saying
36 all things are possible to the drsc.iples
Sleep on nuw
I n I general
sUI_e olll th Ill)!R are
md t ike your rest'
there I~ a Bud
po .,lble with God and III this sense den tr msition
III the words, " It 18
the
terms
an
her
employed
e nuu.rh (""".t,,) the hour 18 come'
(Comp the e'tpre""wn
If It be etr
The meunmg
IB, you have
pos-able
III ver-e J'J) l'he thought
revted enough
th-it IS enough for
IS not moon-a-tent
with the \\01<18 the crreurustanoes
The Budden
quoted hv vl uthcw It It be pO""1
ti msitron
IS accounted
for by the
lile I( t tlll~ cup PolOS from me
Rll<ltI.n appenrance
of Judas
and
nor w rth tllit IlIoti'(1 J.\ Luke
If hi" hand IIl.t AS .Jesus said
'Sleep
thou be \\llll1\g
reuiov e till" {"up on now uid tvke your re.t'
(See
from me
It W'lR ph) SIc LIly POR the note on \Lltt AX\I 4'i 46 )
SibIL hut mor'1llj
IlIlT'os.I1 I.. md
Under til!' p srallel ll\ \latthew
I
tlu ofm
WI.
t
r to 11Iv!'
muc h more fully
let tiJ(' cup pit"
the ~IiPlltH m: e of this mournful
37 sleepest thou 1-~()te n~lllli coufl t re-erv m.r for the present
the sm rul rr number used hv 'I u k pl Ice 111\{ Irk only those points III
and th . plural used by ,I Ittht \\ which 1\1.Irk 8 ac: runt IS peculiar
even wlu II \llttl)('\\
re prevents the
re m Irk I' h ..11l": nddr, sscd t It '111,
The Arre~t 41-52
(Matt X'{VI
4i-56
Luke XXIl 4i-'i3
John
~It' fl' rO)1I of thr- romp Illy
(\1 Itt
xvm 2-14)
xxvt 4(1 comp th- nut on XI 2)
40 neither Wist they -lI"rp
we iI'l\ (' tile oh-olete
\\ I"t
for
\1 Irk , account
of this mordent
kneu:
'I he drscrples
were
so lIS not so full a. Mutth w s but he
I\8hame1 at beiuz "aught asleep a I adds one circumstance
not men
r

God

nr

wrllm

i-c

u-aed

~lAI~K.

357

saying, 'Yhom~oc\'t'r I shall kiss, ; teaching, and yc took me not:

that -ame is he; take him, and; but the scriptures
must b" fullead him away safely.
&~Anuas filh-L
so And
they all forsook
soon a~ he was COllie, he g'ot'th: him, and fled. ~'And there 1;)1straightway
to him, awl saith, ,lowed him a certain YUlIll!:, mall,
;'I:I~tl'r, master; and kissed him. : having a linen clot h cast about
\ n.l they laid their hands on i his uukc.l hody ; and I tile young
hir. and took him.
<1 And
one I men: tileyl
laid hold till him:
of them that stood by drr-w a' ~'aJlfl he left the linen cloth, and
sw.ird, and smote a servant of i Hell [frolll theui] nuked,
tilt, high priest,
and cut off his I
eur.
And J esus answered and'
[,J 0'
lit)'.
Omitted b y Lach .
.aid untu them, Are ve come out, T. S. (;n'('I1, AIf,!rd. TII'):~lIc~. ~. B, ':, D, L.
.
I' f - . h
I.l., Ultl Latin. v ulgute, I. Syrtae, (upt1c,
VWV"'KOI

I'

,IS a~alIl~t
a t IIC , \\,1 t
SW\lJ'( S etc.
'LII I with staves tu take me 'I &8 I .,-,e oir.'
t

II'a,;

daily with you

tioned by Matthew,
,il'mand,
additional

51,52,

1Il

the temple

and this
comment

alone
here.

a certain young man,

=-From
this Ill.Hle (If dcsi~natinp;
the person, we infer that this young
nuu: Wl~S not one of the twelve; but
wlio be was, and how he happened
til be present, can be only a matter
.if conjecture.
Among the many
conjectures
which
have been advanced,
the most pluusihle
is that
which supposes
him tu have been
Mark himself.
As the guards laid
hold on none of the other d isciples..
it is probable
that his loose dress,
only" a linen cloth cast about his
naked body," attracted
their attention, nnd that they seized hold of
it oilly for mischief.
'Vhen
he:
slipped
out of tho doth and ran!
aWRY naked, it was tine sport for
ti:::n, though
any
thing else to
him.
ARGUMEXT

OF

S8CTIOX 4.

This section oxhibits. nn the one,

hand, the evil purpose and wicked
pltlttings
of the enern ies III' JesuR,
and on the other, the self-sacrifice
with whioh he prepared
himself,
for the fate which he foresaw, and:
&0 whioh he voluntarily
submitted.

.''TW"Rec.
Om it tr-d by T, S. Gree n,
1 rt'~elle~,~, 8, C, L. C, k, .P. ~YrlU.(, C41VtlC
Sahidic, etc,

It shows, by the counsel

of the
scr-ibes and }lrip~t. (1, :!), l.v the
al!reement
with .ludus (10. 1'1), loy
i the remark
COI)('prllin!! Judas at tile
i supper-table
(Ii-:!I).
and by thl'
manner
of the arrest (14.411. 4'.),
that
his death
was ~IIn!!ht for
through malice and corruption.
It
shows. on the other hand, loy the
re murks of .lesus lit the "lIPI,,'r in
Bethany
(3-9),
by hi~ st;lTf'lIl1'nt
when instituting
the ~upl'er (:!:!-:!.'.
and by his I'l'a,Ypr ill the !!al',J.'n
(:lfi). that ho '1I11l11ittp,1 volunturil v.
I though
at the cost of IIl1s!,Pllkahle
I mental
Huff.'ring. to a sacr ificiu]
i death
for tlte 'ins "I' the wor-ld
i This la ..t fil.'t "1t.,W" that he WH.
illll','Il",1 l.v a 1'111'\'''''' wh ie]: cou ld
origillate
ill 110 human
soul, and
which no hu man hein!! vould u nd .
Milch circum-tuncvs
muiu ru in : flit
what nu-ru hu mun lipill!!, ucqua inn-d
with the trill' nllll. could MlIl'pose
that hi. own ti('aTh would
],,, an
atune ruent for the ~ill" IIf the world.
and, having fllrJIlt,<l11 I'llrJlo,;e to <lie
fill' thi objl'1't could muiutn in that
I purl'".e
throllgh such sntft'l'ings
a"
I Jesus
endured?
l h-rr- is lin unm istakahle murk of the divinity which
dwelt
ill .1".11". !!ivin!Z direcuon
l to both his life and his death

MARK.
WI And
they led J e'sus awav to
the high priest : and \1 ith -him
"ere
a-sembled
1111 the chid'
prie-rs and the elders and the
scribes,
M And
Pe'ter followed
him afar otT; even into the palace
of the high priest: and he sat
with the servants, and warmed
hunself at the fire. 66 And the
chief priests and all the council

sought for witness agains; Je'i<u~

to put him to death; and found
none.
os For mallY bare false
witness against
him, but their
witne-s
agreed
not together.
&1And there arose certain, and
bare false witness against him,
saying, &8'Ye heard him ~ay, I
1\ ilJ destroy
this temple that is
made with hands, and within
three days I will build another
mude without hawk
.& But
neither so did their witness agree
together,
(!Q And
the high priest
stood up in the midst, and asked
SECTION
THE

TRIAL

AND

V.

SENTENCE OF JESI:S,

XIV. 53-XV. 15.

Trial

hy r he SI\Ill!p<!rlrn,
xlv. Sa-6i;
Peter'",
De n iu.l, 0(>-72 i .Iesu-, ACClUWd
before Piln t, xv. 1-5; Barn bbns Pre(erred, and J
Rejected, 6-15.

e".,.

[xiv. 53-66.

.J e'sus,

saying, Answerest
thou
nothing?
what is it which these
witness against thee?
II But
he
held his peace, and answered
nothing.
Again the high priest
asked him, and said unto him,
Art thou the Christ, the Son of
tlte Blcssed ? "And -Je'sus said,
I am : and ye shall see the Son
of' mall sitting on the right hand
of power, and coming in the
clouds of heaven.
aa Then the
high priest rent his clothes, and
saith, 'Yhat need we any further
witnes-es ? 6' Ye have heard the
hla-phorny : what
think
ye?
An(1 they all condemned him to
be' guilty of death.
&.lAnd some
began to spit on him, and to
cover his face, un.l to buffet him,
and to say unto him, Prophesy:
and the servants dicl strike him
with tho palms of their hands.
III And
as I'e'ter was beneath
in the palace, thfre cometh one
remarks
in addition
to those under
the pnrallr-l in Matthew,
Though
Luke's
and .lohn's
accounts
V\V
ry considerably
from Matthews,
~[ark'8
r-ontains
but
few var iations, and these of but 8light importance.

66. beneath in the palace.-

~111ttltpw say~ +u-it hou! in the pILIace."

It was both-the
"pen court
"'iall,!/ lite Sanhrdrim, xiv. 53-6:>.
in wh ich Peter Silt hping outside of
~~ratt. x xvi. 5i-6R; Luke xxii.ooth!' huil,lin~
proper
though sur7l; .lohn xviii, 19-:24,)
rounded
hy it and hC'in)!: below the
53-65.-Mark
has nothing in this level of th" room in which tho trial
para!!l'aph demnu.l ing COIHIIlent
in of .J C-U8 wus ('()nductpd.
ai<iitioll to what Wf! have already
one of the maids.-Matthew
written under the parallel
in ~Iat- suvs in,ieJinitpIl'.'
II darnse l," while
~I;u'k clp,i~ll:ltcs
Iter a" .. one of
thew,
the maid- of the high priest."
It
Peter's Deoit, 56-72
(Matt. xxvi.
further
appear"
from .Iohn'e
ao(\\)-75; Luke xxii, 55-62; John
count tit at she was the maid who
xviii, 15-1S. 2;>-27.)
kept the door.
(John xviii. 16.

This parRpaph

demands but few 17.)

(iv. 67-xv. i.]

MARK.

that J e'sus said unto him, Before

the cock crow twice, thou "halt
dony me thrice.
And when he
thought t licreon , he wept.
XV. 'And straightway
in the
morning the chief priests held It
cou-ultation
with the elders and
scribo-, and the whole council,
and hound .Ie'sus, aIHI carried
him away, and .leli vered him to
Pi'Iatc.
'And Pi'late asked him,
Art thou the King of the Jel\,s?
And he answering said unto him,
I Thou say('~t it. lAnd the chief'
priests accused
him of many
things : but he answered not hing.
And Pilate asked him
again, saying, An-werc-t
thou
nuth ing? behold how lllallY things
they
I witness: la!} in charge I
again,t
thee.
I But
Je'~us vet
answered
nothing : so that :Pi/late marvele.l.
e Now at that feast he released
unto
them one prisoner, whornso67 jJ.tTd TOU Na'ctplfl,oii 'I'1CTOii ~q6a Rec. ~.
desired.
I And
there
T. N. ~. rov I. Lach.,
Ttsch., '1'. 8. Ureen, ever they

of tho maids of the high priest:

., and when she I'll IV Pe'ter warming him ..clf, -he looked upon
him, aIHI said, And thou also
wust with [Je'sus of Naz'areth :
11'it" the l\~tzarl'He', unih. Je'slisi.
Hut he (lellied, saying, I know
tint, neither
understand
I what
thou sayest, And he went out
into the porch;
and the cock
crew.
88 And
a maid saw him
again, and Iwgan to ~ay to them
that stood by, Thi- is one of
tlu-rn. lOAmi he denied it again.
And a little after, they that
~t()()d by said again to Pe'ter,
Surely thou art one of tlu-m : for
thou art a Galihe'an,
[an(l thy
speech agreeth thereto, ] 11 But
he began to curse and to swear,
saying, I know not this mun of
whom ye speak.
"And the second time the cock crew.
And
Pe'ter called to mind the word
Alford, Tregelles.
70 lira, '1 AaAtO: (Tot! of,J.oui((Z Rec.
Omitted
by Lach,
'I'iach. T, S, Green, Alford, Tregelles, ~. B. C, D, L, elc., ('(lptie, l--uhidic.

'"

gelles,

67, Peter warming himself.-

At the time of the Passover. wh ich

be "an with the first full moon after
th; vernal P'Iuinox, it wus seldom
cold enough
for fire,
I t was the
exposure of Peter and the /!ultr,h
to the ni/!ht air, in which they were
b~::: stnnding without a roof over
them, that made them feel the need
of fire. It was a fire of charcoal.
(.John
to

xviii

18,)

lilA

own report

of the pr"dlctlOn

a cock \\'1\". heard to crow

atel v after the first denial.

llnnwdl-I

ReC.

KaT"i'OpOl~(TU'

Alford,

crowing
of the cock a,
after the third denin l
note on ilO,)

Tre-

occurring
(~ee the

Jesus A,clI,.ed before l'itatc, XI', 15, platt

xX"ji' I,:!, 11-14: Luke
xxiii. 1-5; -Ioh n sviii. :!~-:1S,)

6~. and the cock crew.--:T:ue I

'I ar Ic IJere no t es tl le:llf -t tl Ill;t

(3() ,

Kaf'4fJ.ap'TllpoV(nJ'

L,,,,h., 'risch" T, t>I,Green,

1-5.-~,'e the notes nil thl' para I

lei in !llatthcw,
It vnr ies from
this only in a fl'w expres-ions.
Baral.ba
[ecled,

/'1'1'(<'I'1,,'d, an d
ti-].~,
(Xlntt

J",,,,,, R~.
x xv ii 15-

:)e, r k
.. , 13 ,", J I
,.. ,
-",
.u e xx m. --') , .0 In xvin.
3g 40)
"

I
7. had committed murder.72. the second time the cock ' Matthew says (If Harubbas lIO more

orew,-Htill
predicted,

following

Mark notes

the details as . than that h'l' wus "a notable

tho second I oDPr"
)f(lrk hero gj"e~ the

pr isCRuse

861)

~L\l\K.

w a,..cue named Barah'bas, which

lay bound with them that had
made insurrection
[with him],
who had committed
TIl urder
III
the insurrection.
sAnd the multitude I crying aloud: yuillg lip I
began to desire him to do ns he
had ever done unto them.
8 But
Pi'Iate au-wen-d
thcm, saying,
\\'ill ye th.it I relr-a-e unto you
the King of the Jews?
10 For
h knew that the chief priests
h.ul delivered
him for envy.
11But the l'hil'f prie-ta moved
the people, that hc should rut her
7 aVO'"TaO'~a.aTwv Rr,.. O'"1'a.O'~Q.O'TWV Luch
T 'l (,fLcn, Alf"l, Trecelle
~ apa!3oljt7a; Rec
o.vapa.; tach
'1'1'..( h
T s Green, Alford, Tre).:Lli", I<CII, 1>, Old
LUtID, Vulgate, t optic, euh rdrc, etc

[xv. 8-15

release
Hamh'ba.'! unto them
12 And
Pi'l.ue answered and saio
I again
unto thrm, 'Vhat will ye
I then
th.it I -hal! do mto [him
whom ye call] the King of the
Jells?
IS Awl
they cried out
again,
Crucify
him.
"Th"n
I Pi'late s.iid unto them, 'Vhy,
I what evil hath he done? And
they cried out the more exeeedingly, Crucify him. I~ And ,!r,
Pi'late, I\illing to content Le
people, released Barab'bus uuto
them, and delivered Je'sus, when
he had scourged him, to be crucified.
I

12 0" A.yn. Ree

A Green, Trege.Ies,
01<1Luun, Vulgate,

010 itted by Lach T.

N. D, 1, 1..1 hl}, l Ib, ete.,
l:!ahH\Ic, Arnie ulan.

of his notor ietv

lIe hac! been en- IJ-J.i) now 8()u~ht to take advun~a~ed in an iusurrectiou,
,Iul'lnt: the tat:e f the people's clamor by proprO)!reSB of which he had committed
p,,~illg to release -Iesus (verse \l),
murder,
aud he now"
lay hound hut the chief prrests circumvented
with them that had made In'Wrl'CC' hilll hy persuading
the reople to
tion With him"
Luke loc,lte' the u-k for Barabhas
(vcr~e
I; comp,
iu-urrectiou
within the e itv (xxiii
not on ~Lltt, xxvii :lU)
1V), und John 8t.lte~ that Ihr,Lblms
On the remainder
of the pnnv
w as ,\ robber
(vlohn xviii 40)
lie gr'l('h, see the notes under the parallel in :'ILttth!'w
W,lS probably
the chief of II hand
of rubber-s,
and had v e nturod into
the city lor 'orne deed of \ iolenco,
AROt:MENT
OF SKCTION 5.
but h.i.l be n overpowered
and ",1St
inr. pr ison
\\,hy the I,copl, ymIf J'.Uq hau I,,'pn arrested on
"tllll.ed With him is not e xpl.ri u od som charge
of crnn mal conduct,
t W,L'l pl'o\.'lhly becuuse
his in sur- i and if hi~ tnt!
IITHi "'ntenee
had
revtion
hu.l 1)(''11 a bl..w at tho ber-n marked
hy tho due forms of
R"IU,11l i!:"v!'l'l1lD<'nt, call,ill~
the justic,
these facts would have ,1.,l"'''l'le
to fOIp;'t his crimes for the eructed somewhat
fr.nu the force of
s.rk of hi. h"qtiltty to th,' commolll th ovidr-nce of hi. innocence
Hut
CIlI'lI1\"
the I'l'nl'f'Ptllllgs
cOn1lt'I't"d with IllS
a, began to desire him,-I
t Inne"t
lind condornnntu.n
by tho
.""11" fro n th i .('r~e that tho mul- I ~,lnh'<irl1n, and thos hy wlneh the
trtu.le fir-it mentioned
the subject of sentence
of do.uh
was procured
rpl . l'lini!: a pri''''Il~r,
by culling on from Pilate, furrii-h
evidence
in
Prl.ite 't., do a~ he had ever done I favor of his cl.iims
It is only when
unt them"
Pdate, having already
ju~tico is to he perverted,
and the
pronounced
-Ie-rus innocent,
,md' m noce nt condemned,
that men rehaving proposed to release him with I sort to pr ictices so corrupt
Thougb
a mere ehnatisement
(Luke xxii]. , false witnesses
were purposely em

xv.

)lARK.

16-21.]

I.

And the soldiers led him: him on the head with a reed,
away into the hall, called Prre-! and did spit upon him, and
torium : and they call together
bowing their knees worshiped
the whole band.
11 And
they him.
10 And
when they
had
clothvd him with purple,
and I mocked
him, they
took
off
platted a crown of thorns, and the purple from him, and put
put it about his head, 18 and be- his own clothes 011 him, nud led
gan to salute him, Hail, King him out to crucify him.
" And
of the .Iews I "And they smote they compel one Si'ruon a Cyre'I'

pluved in his trial before the Sant;ECTlON

VI.
hedr irn, and though their testimony
when presented
was contradictory,
THE
DEATH,
BURIAL,
ANIl
fh;~I'Ratill the high {'dest pretended
that
RF.CTION OF .JESUS,
XV. lU-X\'l.
it contained
evidence of ~uilt.
(xiv.
20 .
.'ii -tiO.)
Xut willing, however,
to
1'.',t the case on this tPstimonl.' .Je- Je","
Mocked and Led away by the
Soldiers, xv. 16-21; The Cruc irl xf on ,
su was tln-n called on to testify in
22-~~;
Revl ll ngs by the People, 2Hhis own cas, and tbough his anH'wer
32; Tl~t' l>arknesti,and
the Elld.:~-4I;
was merely a repetition
of whut he
The Burru l. l2-17; 'flip \'\>,It of the
Women
to Ihe AeplIlclIer, xvI. 1-1<;
had chimed
fur himself
from the
Je""" Ap"f>'u's to Mary Magdalene,
b.~ginning,
on this he was pro9-11; He Appears
to Two in t ne
Con ntry, 12, 1:1; He Appears
to the
nounced worthy of death.
(xiv.61Eleven and Gl ves the Comm lsstou ,
M.)
After thus condemning
him
B-IS; The Asceuston,
19, 20.
on a false charge of blasphemy,
they
went before Pilate with lin entirely
different charge,
that of disloyalty
Jesus .U'ocked and Led away
to Cresar, a chnrjre of which they
the Soldiers, xv. 16-21.
Ol<ltt.
had special reasons to know that he
xxvii. 27-32;
Luke xxiii, :'!G-:l:.! ,
was not guilty.
(xr. 1, :2; comp,
John xix. 1-3,16,17.)
xii. 1:~-17.)
Pilate was now subjected to the alternative
of either
16. called Prretorium. - The
vindicating
the cause of justice, or word here rendered"
Prmtorium,"
giving
success
to the iniquitous
is the same that is rendered"
(''In!prosecution
of .Iesus,
He knew mon hall" in ~Iatt. xxvii, 27, and
that the chief priests had accused
"judgment
hull" ill .lohn xviii. :.!R.
him through envy (xv. 10), and he It is the Latin
word prirtorium,
openly
proclaimed
that he could which had \H'<'n adopted
into the
find no evil in his conduct (xv. 14); Greek lan:,:uage, nnd means the te nt
yet, "to content
the people, he re- 01' d wl'lIillj! f a pr.etor, or of nny
leased Harnbbus unto them, find de- other (,Ollllll:llldin~ "tlieer.
III this
livered .I""IIS to be crucified " (xv. I cnsv it was Pilutos dwelling.
lS).
Thus the condemnution
und i
17. with purple, - John
and
the sentence of ,Jesus, viewed merely
~lark hoth reprc-cut
the robe which
in the light of ~brk's
account, con-' the soldicr put on .lesus as orio of
tain unmistakuble
proofs that they I P"!'!' l.: ('omp .J"lm xix. :.!), while
were brought about by the employ~larthcw (xxvi i :.!S) calls it a scarlet
ment of such meusures,
and such I robe, more prnperly rendered
crimonly, as are employed
in the con- -'011. This difference
is accounted
damnation
and death of innocent I for by the fact that the term purple
persous.
' WI\8 used hy the Romane to include

".'1

31

562

MARK.

uian, who passed by, coming out

of the country, the father of
Alexun'der and Ru'fus, to bear
his cross.
"And they bring him unto
t he place Gol/gotha, which is,
being interpreted, The place of
23 " ," &0.
Omittted
Green, Alfurd, Tregelles,
Coptic. Armeuiau.

by Tlsch., T. 8.
N, B, C, L, A, n,

[xv, 22-~tJ.

a skull. It And they gave him

[to drink] wine mingled with
myrrh: but he received it not.
"And when they had crucified
him, they parted his garments,
casting lots upon them, what
every man 8hou\d take. 16 And
it was the third hour, and they
crucified him. ,sAnd the superscription of his accusation was

several diffin'ent shades of red. (See That is, about 9 0' clock. John says
Alford in ""'0, and Robinson's Greek it was" about the sixth hour" that
Lexicon of New 'restament, where Pilate delivered Jesus to be crueiun example is giycn from Horace.) fled. (Juhn xix. 14-17.) It could
See, for other notes ou this para- not have been the sixth hour according to the Jewish 'node of reckongmph, the parallel in Matthew.
ing; for Matthew, Mark and Luke
Urn cifixion,
22-28.
(:\latt.
xxvii, ;)3-3S; Luke xxiii. 33, 34, all testify that the dur k ness occurred
at the sixth hour, and this was after
3t'; ./ohnxix.17-24.)
Jesus had been on the cross for H
22. Golgotha.- See the note, considerable length of ti mo, (See
Matt. xxvii. 45; Murk xv. 33; Luke
Mutt, xxvii. 33.
23. wine mingled with myrrh. xxiii, 44.) Neither could it have
-;\!'ltthew
SIlVS, "vinegar
mingled been at the sixth hour according to
with i!all." But the vinegar of the the Roman method of cuuntin~,
Jews was a cheap and sour wine, which would be 6 o'clock; for this
and the two terms designate the would not allow time for all of the
same liquid.
Gall is the humor proceedings which were had pT&found in the bodies of men and vious to the crucifixion.
We con- ,
beasts, otherwise called bile. But elude, then, that Mark fixe" the true
the Greek word here rendered gall time of the crucifixion, and that the
(.to?.;'), is used in the Septuagint to text of.J oh n has been al tered by
represent 'l. Hebrew word which some mistake of transcribers.
John
means any bitter herb, and myrrh could not himself have made a milli8 a bitter gum that exudes from take ; for, independent of his inspithe hark of a tree. Matthew, then, ration, he was an eye-witness of the
uses the term gall indefinitely for scene, and could' not have missometh ing bitter, while Mark, aim- calculated it by the space of three
ing to be more specific, namos the hours.
rarticular
herb which was used.
26. The King of the Jews.(See }{"hinAon's "S. T. Lexicon on Matthew expreRscR it, "Th is is .J&.to?.;', and ~mith'8 Bible Dictionary BUS the King of the Jew";" hut he
on Oall.) In reference to the re- probublv expands the expression bv
fus-il of .J~,u~ to drink, see the note, the addition of the words, "This fa
Matt. xxvi i. 34.
Jesus "-words which are implied,
24. casting lots.-The remarks though not expreR'cd, in the inscripalread v made on these words, under tion as given by Mark. The variaMatt. xxvii. :;5, are equally appro- tions in Luke and John (Luke :u:iii.
38; John xix. 1'.J) are doubtless
priate here.
25. it was the third hour.- the same character, :\hrk alone pr .

ri-

or

863

MARK.

xv. 27-:16.J

written over, THE KING

OF
THE JEWS.
., And with him
they crucify two thieves;
the
one on his right hand, and the
other on his left.
38 [And
the
scripture
was fulfilled,
which
saith, And he was numbered
with the transgressors.]
III And
they that passed by
railed on him, wagging
their
heads, and saying, Ah,
thou
that destroyest the temple, and
build est it in three days, "save
thyself, and come down from the
cross.
81 Likewise
abo the chief
priests
mocking
said
among
them-elves with the scribes, He
saved others; himself he can not
save.
S'Let Christ the King of
Is'rael descend now from the
cross, that we lIlay see and be-

llieve.
And they that were erucified with him reviled him.
U And
when the sixth hour
WIIB come,
there was darkness
over the whole land until the
ninth hour.
And at the ninth
hour Je'sus cried with a loud
voice, [~aying,J Elo'i, Elo'i, lu'ma
sabachtha'ni
? which is, being interpreted,
My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken
me?
16 And
some of them that stood
by, when they heard it, said,
Behold, he calleth Eli' as. Ie And
one fan [I1nd] filled a sponge full
of vinegar, [undl
put it on a
reed, and gave liim to drink,
saying, Let alone;
let us see
whether Eli'as will come to take

28 Omitted by Tisch., T. S. Green, Alford,

N. At B, C, D, x, etc., k, Sahidic.

84 ..yw. Rec, Omitted by TIllch., T. S.

Green. Alford. Tregelles
36 .41 Rec. Umitted by Lach., T. B. Green,
Allard.
86 T< Ree. Omitted by Lach., T. 8. Green.
Tregclles.

servirur

from

the laconic

bv Pilate,

form employed

..27. two thieves".--.'le.. e

Matthew,

seem

attention in this place .

to

demand

36. saying, Let alone.- The

expression,
"Let alone; let us see
whether
Elias will come to take
28. And the scripture,-This
verse is canceled
by the critics 011 him down," is not intended
as an
the very hil!;hest maIlu8crirt
au- objection to /!:idng him the vinegar ;
thority.
(See
the critica
note for the man who used these words
above. )
had already
given it to him.
He
gave .JeRtls the vinegar
to moisten
Rel'ilifl.q.. O!/ tke People, 29-32. his t"!l!!lIe and lips, and the remark,
(.'Ilatt. xxvii, 39-44; Luke xxiii,
" Let alone." is an indefinite expression addressed
to the by-standers,
35-37.)
and meaning
that they should be
The f'ict of this paragraph
are quid and putient to see the result.
more fully reported
bv Matthew, I In the same way must we construe
and need nu add itionul comment
the rornnrk addressed
by some of
hen.
the by-vtandcre to the man who gave
the drink, 1\8 reported
by Matthew.
The Dnrkues
lind the End, 33-41.
ITe say", "The
rest said, Let be
(Matt. x x vi i. 45-56; Luke xxiii.
C
in the sinuular number),
lilt
44-49; .Iulm xix. 28-30.)
\IS ~ee whether
Elias will come to
save him."
They made the remark
Only two points
in this parato him, and he to them; but neither
eraI'll. in which .'Ilark differs slillhtly I had reference to the drink ofvineglU
on Matt.

xxvii.

the note

38.

A",,~.

364

[xv. 37-43.

MARK.

him down.
It And
Je'sus cried James the less and of Jo'ses, nod
w it h ,I Iou.l VOice, and gave uPIS,do'me;
il (who also, "hen
he
the ~ho~t
'"And the veil of the was in Gal'ilee,
followed 111m,
tplllple
\1 ,I~ rent
in tw.un from and ministered unto him ,) and
tit, top to the bottom.
S And
many other "omen II hich came
II 1t"11 the,
nt unon, II hir-h stood lip \11th 111m unto .Ioru'<aleru.
o v et ,lg.lIlht lum, o.tll th.u he BI)
"Anonow
when the even waa
,'rHt! out, and 'i ive lip the ghost, cume, h-c.uise it IV,\,,~ the prepa
he ',1\(1, '1'1 Illy thi- man \\,18 the ration, th.u h, the d Iy before the
SOli of' {;od.
'" There were :11-0 sabbath,
.Jo'''eph
of Arrrna110m' II
looking
on afar
otl: thte'a,
an honor able counselor,
am mg II hom I\[\8 ~1.1'ry ~Llg. II hich also II .uted tor the kill~d ti, ne, 1\\1(\ :\1a'ry the mother of <lorn of God, (' \III(', and went 10

39 when the centunon.c- \!.l\ k I Pil.ite to hUI e tl,, lI'g" of the erucid e, not st .te RU t '" II II H~ \(.ltthcw
tied broken anti tlu-ir b()tlll'~ taken
des the causes tlf the ct ntu r ron 8 aw,lY (Jolin XI'., .H) 'I he S nne
e xcl un.itron
lie
nn-rely
~.I.vS. cause oper.ued
on both tilt) fru.uds
. \Vhen tho ccntui iun -1\\ tit It he and the foe', of .Iesu-, e.u-l. p u tv
SU erred out .ind u lie 111' the !.(ho~t, ha'ln!,
In ther p.crtrcul.rrs,
a dit
he lid Truly
tlll~ ru.m \\ ,I" the ferent objec t 1Il I lCW
Sou of God , but It i~im pliod th.it
43. of Arrmathea
-It
18 BUP
he w as com meed hy tlu- ev ents that po-ed by SOIlIt' th.it AIII<I uhea the
preci ded IlIlU Ilt comp.uued the I.IRt home of ,I",pph, \\a~ the .mcient
cry of .le-us ~IlU not by that outcry It unah , the bll thplace
und home
alone
Mark s itlllgllagtJ indeed 18 of the propllt t ~,\Illuel, about twc
intended to state the tune r.ithcr rmles north of .I,'ru.,t!PlII
(See
than the cause of the e xoluuiatum
Smith 8 Drcuunary
)
T'h Burial, 42-4 i
57-66, Luke xxiu
'tIX 31-42)

(\J.ltt

xxvii

an honorable

counselor.c-Mav

of ."""ph
personnlly no
more than ti< it he was a rich man
of Ar nnnthe I .md ,. disciple of ,Jt)42. the preparation.-it
was '118
~I.lrJ... 'HldR that he \\U" an
not the prepar,.tlOn
f"r the
honorable
counv-lor ' -th,.t
I~, a
mer. which had .ih e ul v 1>l'rn p,le- I member
uf tit" ~,lllhedrlm,
Luke.
brated
the everun.;
I'rol lu'l~ but I th It he \V,IS 'a good man and II.
for the H,lhh,.th
of the I' is-over I ju-t."
w ho
h If I not consented
to
week, whrch
\\a~ a
11Igh f1.1Y" I the counsel
,lnu d"e,l of them,'
(John XIX 31)
)!.Irk
evplamit I,md .l olm th.u thouuh a dl.rlplo
of
thu by .iddunr , that I. the d ly .I",u'l he wn- socr etly so for fear of
bpf,lre thr Hahb,.th
It h id 1)('- the .1, w ~ (:-;ec the p ir.rllels } He
coiue a prt'p,lr,ltlOn
d.w by cu-toru,
\\ a~ one of tho-,a men to \\ hom .Joh[
nnd not by force of I.IW. for there refers w hen he .11) ~ Am"nl; the
I' nt1tlllng In the law on the Bub- cluef ruler.
t1." Ill,my behoved on
Je, t The fact that It was the prl'p- hrm , hut bec.ru-e of the Phurrseea
aratron
IS gIven by Mark u~ tlie they rhd not eonfes111m lest they
re ison why Joseph
went to Pilate should be IIIH out of the ~ynai!:ogue
and RAked for the body (comp verse for the v "It'd the F,lrll.lse of mel
t.J), while John
states it as the more tilan the
praise
of God.'
~f\80fl
vvhv "the Jews" besought
(John xii 4~ 43.)

'i0-'i6, .lohn thrw

p'I~8-1

~,1)8

xv. 44-xvi. 2.]

MARK.

boldly unto Pi'late, and craved

the body of Je'sus, And Pi'
late marveled if he were already
dead: and calling unto him the
centurion, he asked him whether
he had been any while dead.
And when he knew it of the
centurion, he gave the \body:
corpse I to .Io'seph. Od And he
bought tine linen, [and] took him
down, and wrapped him ill the
45 <TW1'4 s- WTWI'4 Lach., TiBch., T. s.

I linen,

and laid him in a sepulcher which Wag hewn out of a

rock, and rolled a stone unto the
door of the sepulcher.
'T And
Ma'ry Mugdale'ne and l\1a'ry
the mother of Jo'ses beheld
where he was laid.
XVI. I Ann when the sabbath
was past, Ma'ry Magdale'ne, and
Ma'ry the mother of James, and
Salo'rne, had bought sweet spires,
that they might come and anoint
him. And very' early in the
morning the first day of the

Green, Alford, Tregel les.

4(; KA' Rer,
Omitted by Lach., Tisch .. T.
S. {;rcen, Alfol'(\, 'I'regelles.

went in boldly.-~len
who are Th Visit of the Women to iltt
ord inurilv timid sometimes
exhibit
Sepulchrr, xvi. 1-8. (Matt. xxviii.
Ilreat b()fdnc~8 in a trying
crisis.
1-8; Luke xxiv, 1-11; John xx.
The boldness of ,Joseph in identify1, 2.)
inl-( himself nt this or is is as n friend
..
of .lesus. iH the more apparent
when 1 1. had bought, -The
orlglllal
we contrast
his conduct
with that verb I" not In ths pluperf,,?t
t.eme,
of the other male disciples, not one! ns t~e rr-nderinp
w~uld .1~dIC8te,
of whom seems to have taken n.ny hut III the tir~t AOrIst (t;yopacra,,').
su-ps for the pr0l'('~ care of the body ~ The ~lau~e sh~,uld read. " And whe,n
of Jesus.
It required
great moral the ~~blJ"th J~"~
past ~lary ~I.agd~;
8.8 well Il.8 phyaical
courage to nct ] It'ne:
etc.,
Dought BW?et 8plce,.
as hi" friend when his came aP-i H:~\'lnl! h<:uu;ht n. portion
of the
penred hopeleR~ and w~lpn all men spiel's w;!~~'l~ th':J .thought. ner.~~
aeemed to he hiS cnenues.
sary, nn 111U.lY evenmg (Lukl' XXIII.
44, 45. Pilate
marveled.-Pi?,Ii), they c~rnf'l('ted
the r!lr~ll1l~e
late" marveled
if he were already
w.h(,Tl t~le , nhl.ath wnR past;
nnd
dead "because
it was not uncommon
wh il . this lIlay 1.lIive ber-n after su nfor c'rucified persons
to remain
on ~e~ on the ~velllnlZ: o~ the Sabhnth,
the cross two or three days before
It 18 more likely
that It w~s done as
death
ensued.
Not until he had the worn en h were on their ,:ray to
made inquiry of the centurion.
who the
~~pulr er early
on Sunday
had perharR returned
to the pra.tomorlllng.
rium, leaving the soldiers to watch
2. v~ry ~arly:-Mnrk
Il.~~~. two
the bodies, did he grant .loseph'
e:o:prt:,sHIO!lO ITt .tltlS verse to indicate
request.
ThiH procedure shows that t~c tl,:ne lit wh~ch ~he women e!ll~~;
Joseph's
request
for the bodv (If viz., " ler.v endJ. III the morrnng ..
Iesus preceded
the request
of the and
at the TlRlIlg of the sun,
Jews that the bodies be taken nway. ;\lford .n.p that as the sun was up,
(John x ix. 31.)
It c(l.uld n:'t be (,l~IJed r.o!! el.1!'!!!;
46, 47.~ee
the notes on ~In.tt. I but III thi he differs III opinion
:u:vii. 59, 60, 61.
I from Murk, us he does about 80m"
other
matters.
It ll'as very en.rIy
for them to reach the sepulcher,
when we consider the distance they

866

MARK.

[xvi. 2.

week, they came unto the sepul- cher at the rising of the sun.
had come and the buamess they here at 6 AM, and arnves there 0.1
had attended to by the way
It 11 AM, 0. friend with Lexington In
w L< 80 early that It had necessrtated hrs mmd would 8av that I v.ent on the
their st<lrtllli$ as It began to dawn," the SIX 0' clock tram , while another,
and w hile It was yet dark"
(See with LOUIsville 111 Ins mmd, would
the note above and the one next Bay 1 went on the eleven o'clock
below )
train, and both would apeak the
at the rising' of the sun.- truth
A man as far av.ay as BOlton
Lrtci LIly the Bun havmg rrsen " or London, Oil i eadmg either of these
("."tHM.YtOS
1'<>11 '7""'<>11)
Matthew accounts, rlllght be a httle puz/!t,d
ti'lyd they came ' as It be~an to at first, but If he were reuson-ible
dawn
and John "while It was and Ju~t he would not ch lr~e !L con
yet d 11 k ' Between Matthew and tradictrou , for sumlar IUl.llitll'. anu
John t hei e IS no drfference except expressions at hIS own door WI uld
In p~ pression
for It IS yet dark soon sugp;e~t the true expl.m.uion
v.hen It be,!;lns to dawn
But be of the app trent dtscrepancy
GIve
t \ en both of these wr iters and our sacred histori.rns the benefit of
~I tI k there I~ J. difference which tIllS common juxuce, and 1\11 IS
d-uuands
attention
It IS common clear
\\ uh ske ptrcs 1I1t1 WIth some from
Matthew s I) s the women went to
w hom better things might be ex- the
sepulcher
as It began to
I'' . tc.l to pronounce all such dif- dawn'
IJ, e. he mean that they
foren, es contradtctiona and to dis- arrwed then or that they started
un them from conaideratiou with- then? Beyond all 'jUcstlOn the Ianout \ MerlOU8attempt to see whether gu LgO may nn III LIt ier and It must
thev J.Ie Ieul oontradrctioua
A be under-tood
a~cordlllg to the
con"tlJ.dlctwn C,\I1Justly be affirmed probabihues of the cuse But w hat
only when two statements are such are the pI obalnhtres ? A Bother
that both can not be true
When credible wr rter o'lys they \\ (lit at
tboy Tn(I,! be true It IS unjust to sunrrse
111~ <t ucmcnt con-ulered
c.~.t 8U8]llCIOnon either unless It IS by Itself I111,.!;htalso mean either
\II Itself Improbable
In tho present th.it they st irted, or that th"y ar
cuse we have only to mquire i ived, at surn ise but olR the tune
whether It may be true III 0. proper that he dcsi.rmtes 18 the I iter, and
sense of the terms that the women that of Matthew the e.irber we at
we nt to the sepulcher
at the rJSlllg once l?ercelve th It \{atthpw must be
of the sun and yet true that they speaking of the time It" III~h thoj
went ns It began to d-iwn " If I started, and \Iark of the tune at
were to see t man v.ho had walkld \\ luch they irrrved
Jill. IS the
from the cIty of Lexington enter conclusion
\, hn.h justu.o and com
the ~lte at A,hl.lnd (drstant nearly mun sense dike demand
It 18 not
two nn les ) at -unrrse, I would not 0. strained attempt at harmony, but
h(>~lt'\te to S tv tholt he went to Ash 8. harmony winch .tuul ly e't;I'lu.
land ut sunr i-e
But another per- and 18 clear-ly peru ptli.Ie
It I~
"Ion v.h .aw hun start from hIS made sull clearer WhLIl we remeuihume 111L":l.IJI.:tlln would as truth- ber that Beth 1II'y the place" here
fulh My th It the ma.n went to A~h- Jesus and hi UI_Clpl.8 had lodged
lana about daybreak
A~all1 If II every mght durmz the preceding
wero to pll.88 from Lexington to I week (Luke HI J7) and whence
Louisvrlle on the tram whloli leavea the women hud ullllOKt Ilertamly
I

xvi. 8-8.J

MARK.

And they said among them-\

selves, Who shall roll us away
the stone from the door of the
sepulcher?
'AmI when they
looked, they saw that the stone
was rolled Iaway: back I: for it
was very great. 8 And I entering
into: c(nning to I the sepulcher,
they saw a young mall sitting on
4 <i"o.,,~A"TTa.JUc. <iva Tisch., T. s.

367

Green, Alford, Tregefles, 1(, B, L.

5 ,,0",A90uO'a~ Bee. cA90uuG." Ti"ch.t T. S.
Green, Alford, B, 127.

the right side, clothed in a long

white garment; and they were
affrighted. 8 And he saith unto
them, Btl not affrighted:
Ye
seek Je'sus of Naz'ereth, which
was crucified: he is risen; he is
not here: behold the place where
they laid him. I But go your
way, tell his disciples and Pe'ter
that he goeth before you into
Gal'ilee: there shall ye see lum,
1
.d
' All
as 1e sal unto you.
II( t ley

come, was nearly two miles from

.Jerusnlem, so that the women would
have had to walk briskly in order
to rel1~h the city, purchase more
Apices, und arrive at the sepulcher
by sunrise.
3. who shall roll. - The fact
that as the women approached the
sepulcher they raised the question,
" Who shall roll U8 awuy the stone
from the door of the sepulcher?"
shows that the sealing of the stone
and the placing of a guard there
were unknown to them i otherwise
they would not have expected that
the stone would be removed at all,
nor would they have come for the
purpose which brought them. It is
probable that nunc of the disciples
knew th is until after the rosurrection, and therefore the fact that
they did not try to steal the body
away is sufficient proof that they
had 1\0 such purpose as was suspected by the chief prieats and the
Phl\ri~el1R. (~Iatt. xxvii, 6~-66.)
4. for it was very great,--Just
B8 the women had raised the question, who should roll the stone
away, they looked and saw that it
W.1S already
rolled back. To the
statement
uf these two circumstances. the historian adds, "for i~
wus very great."
I ts great size is
mentioned to account both for their
queation and for the implied BurpriM when they saw that the stone
W~
romoved.

5. they saw a young man.Although ~Iark does Dot say expressly that this vounp; man was an
angel, the narrative clearly implies
that he was. He was the same
angel who had rolled the stone
away, and who sat on it until the
guards tied, when he entered the
sepulcher, and there awaited the
arrival of the women. (~fatt. xxviii,
2-5.) He WB8 also one of the two
mentioned by Luke (xxiv. 4), he
alone beinp mentioned by Mutthow
and Mark necause he was the actor
and speaker.
6, 7, his disciples a.nd Peter.
-In the words, "Tell his disciples
and Peter," the angel recognized
Peter's pre-eminence, and intended
also, perhaps, by the very honor conferred on him, to rebuke him for
his recent denial of his Lord.
8. neither said they any thing
-~Iark
expresaes more emphatically than hl~tthew does, the great
excitement of the women. They
"fled from the sepulcher," the"
trembled
and were amazed,'
"neither said they any thing to o.ny
man." 'I'his last declaration means
that they said nothiug to any man
on the wallls they ran to tell the
male disciples (verse 7). If they
had been less frightened,
they
mill:lit have cried out to every man
they met, "The Lord is risen." A8
it was, people saw in them R.B they
passed, only a group of frightened

868

MARK.

[xvi. 9.

went out [quickly], and fled neither said they any thin~ to
from the sepulcher;
for they any man; for the] were afraid.
trem bled ami were amazed:
[Now when Jesus was risen
8 Tax" Ree. Omitted by Lacb . Tach.,
T. H. Green, Alford, Tregelles.

9-20 The Gospel Is made to end with Vet.

8 by Ttsch., T. 8. Green. 1(, B.

women running
errand.

whom .JeRUs loved, and saith unto

them, They have taken away the
Lord out of the sepulcher, and we
know not where they ho.ve laid
him." (John xx. I, 2.) These
words contain a double proof that
she left the company of the other
women as soon as they discovered
that the sprulcher wns open; for
first, it is said "she seeth the stone
taken away from the sepulcher.
Then she runneth,"
etc.; and
second, had she remained with the
other women till the angel spoke to
them, her report to Peter and John
would not have been, They have
taken away the Lord out of the
sepulcher, and we know not where
they have laid him;" but st. e would
have reported the statement of the
angel that he had risen from the
dead. She inferred that the hody
had heen taken away, because she
could see no other reason for rolling
away the great stone. Peter and
.John, who were evidently separated
from the main body of the male disciples, on hE'aring the startling
news, ran with all their mi,!!ht to
the sepulcher, followed by ).lary.
On seeing and believing what Mary
had reported, they departed, leaving
her still at the tomb, where Jesus
appeared to her first, (.John xx, 318.) On disappearing from Mary,
he appeared the next moment to
the other women, who, by thi,
time, had examined the sepulcher,
conversed with the angel, and gone
some distance in the direction of
the other male disciples.
The movements about the sepuleher that morning were animated ill
the highest degree, and they follow
ed each other ill quick auceesaion

on some unknown

Appears 10 Mary Magdalene,

9-11. (John xx. I-Ill.)
On the geuuineness of the remaind er of this chapter, see the dissertation at the close of the volume.
9. when Jesus. - The name,
".Te~u~" is omitted from the text
by Green lind Alford, for want of
manuscript
authority,
and this
omission makes the lll'csent parazrnpb connect more closly with the
preceding.
first to Mary.-Ina~much
u.s
Mar.v ~tap:dalene came to the
sepulcher in company with the
other women (verse I), the statemont that Jesus appeared first to
her implies that she had become
Rf'parated from the others; for otherwise he would have appeared to all
of them at once. But he appeared
to the other women as thpy were
f(oing to tell the disciples (Matt.
xxviii, 9, 10), consequently Mary's
separation from them and the appearance of .Iesus to her must both
hiwe taken place between the time
that
they all approached
the
sepulcher together and the time
that he appeared
to the other
women. This much is implied in
the accounts of Matthew and ~lark,
and the details are furnished by
John.
He, mentioning Mary alone
because she alone brought the news
to him, says: "The first day of the
week cometh ~lary Magdalene early
when it was yet dark to the
sepulcher, and seeth the stone
taken away from the sepulcher.
Then she runneth and oometh to
Simon and to the other disciple
Je Mls

lVI.

9.]

~lARK.

early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Ma'ry MagWhen the angel came down like a
stream of light from heaven, rolled
back the stone, sat down on it, and
turned his flashing eyes on the
Roman guards, though the latter
fcll like dCILdmen to the ground, in
another instant they arose and fled.
The angel enters the tomb, and the
five women draw calmly near, not
knowing what was done. They see
that the stone has been rolled away,
when one of them, without a word,
runs swiftly away.
The others
grow pale, and draw near with
trembling to the tomb. They look
within, they enter, and for 1\ moment
they look around in wonder. Two
angels suddenly become visible to
them. and one of them tells the wonderful story of thc resurrection.
Wild with joy and fear. they fly
away to tell the news. They have
scar cely left the spot. when the
swift-footed John bou nds up to the
open door. stoops down and looks
with eagerness
into the vacant
tomb. The impetuous Peter follows
hard after, rushes past his companion into the sepulcher. and
gazes around.
They both for a
moment look thoughtfully at the
napkin lying here, and the linen
clothes lying yonder, then they
solemnly walk away.
Mary has
now returned.
After a momentary
burst of tears, the first she had found
time tc shed, she stoops and looks
within. The angels, whom none
but female eyes could see that day,
are visible to her. and commence a
conversation which is interrupted
b:y the approach of some one behind her, when she turns, and the
risen Lord himself is before her.
One moment of ra~ture, and he is
!l-one. Another SWift race for the
bewildered Mary, to tell this better
news, and to have her story this
time treated like an idle tale I W onderful sepulcher I The center of

attraction to heaven and earth, and

none the less 80 as ages have J;lassed
away, and the question, Did be
rise? goes round the world.
seven devils.-Tbe
recorded history of Mary Magdalene is almost
entirely confined to her connection
with the cross and the sepulcher.
Only two other facts in her life are
known. She was one of the women
who in Galilee followed Jesus and
ministered to him out of their substance (Luke viii. 1-3; Mark zv.
41), and out of her, as we see in
this verse, the Lord had cast seven
demons.
Mag-da-le-ne
means a
woman of Magdala, and indicates
that the town of Magdala, on the
western shore of the lake of Galilee,
was her nutive place. There, perhaps. Jesus had first met her, and
bound her to himself in bonds of
everlasting gratitude by casting out
the seven demons. lIer possession
by these demons was n fearful
calamity. but it implies nothing
derogatory to her character (see
the note. Matt. viii. 16), neither is
there any thine; else in the sacred
narratives to Justify the popular
conception that her character had
been bad. The supposition that she
is identical with "tbe woman that
was a Binner," spoken of in Luke
vii. 37, 38, is without a. shadow of
foundation.
In reality, all of the
indications of her character und
position which are furnished by the
Scriptures point to a woman in
easy circumstances, with a benevolent disposition, tender sensibilities,
and commanding influence.
lIer
name stands first among the fcmale
attendants of Jesus at almost every
mention of it, and on her he COIIferred the peculiar honor of making
her the first human witness of his
resurrection from the dead
It is a
shame on the Christian world, thai
a woman of virtue so pre-eminent

870

MAIU~.

dale'ne, out of whom he had cast

seveu devils. U) And she went
and told them that had been with
him, as they mourned and wept.
11 And they, when they had heard
that he WIIS alive, and had been
seen of her, believed not.

[xvi. 10-13.

\1 After
that he appeared in
another form unto two of them,
as they walked, and went
into the country.
II And
they
went and told it unto the
residue: neither believed they
them.

has come to be commonly

re~llrded
totally discredited
it as regards the
as a reformed
harlot;
and that her resurrection
of Jesus.
In either
cognomen whioh served only to dis- case, when Mary came in with her
that they
tinKuish her from other Marys by story it was but natural
indicating
her birthplace,
has be- should discredit it.
come, in the contracted
form of
Magdalen, the name of societies and Jesus Appears to Two ill the Couninatitutions
for the reformation
of
try, 12, 13. (Luke niv. 13abandoned
women,
This is an illus35.)
tration, however, of the corrupting
This paragraph
is an epitome ot
and degrading
tendency
of human
the account
given in the parallel
tradition
when it dares to tamper
with the sacred
narrntives.
It is place in Luke, but there are two
in it which
call for
Rome that has given Mary the false statements
here.
and low repute
in which
she is especial attoution
12. in another form.- While
erroneously
held.
(See
Smith's
Mark here says that Jesus"
appearDictionary. )
10, 11. as they mourned and ed in another form" to these two
wept.- When Mary left the sepul- disciples, Luke accounts for their
not recognizing
him by the fact that
cher she doubtless
followed Peter
and John, who had gone but a few " their eyes were holden that they
should
not know
him."
(Luke
moments
before.
Tho mourning
are not
and weeping
here mentioned
are xxiv, 16.) The statements
inconsistent;
they only show, when
best
n.ccounted
for
by
supposthat Jesus apin~ that Peter and John had now taken in connection,
peared in another
form by holding
joined
company
with a different
group of disciples
from those to III some way, their eyes, so that he
would appear to be a different perwhom the other women had already
Ron. Mark's account
implies tha.
borne the news of the resurrection,
saw through
hia
and had told them, what they still they eventually
supposed to he true, that the body disguise, without stating how.
of Jesus had been taken away they
13. neither
believed they
them. -On
these
words
Alford,
know nut whither.
This nnnounceruent WIlS in itself distressing,
and who will by no means allow that the
do not occasionally
conwou l.l nllturally open afresh all tho Evangelista
tradict
one another,
says:
"Here
wounds within them that his death
the Harmonists
have used
bad inflicted
It is possible,
how- again
every kind of distortion
of tbe plain
ever, that the mourninz
company
of words to reconcile
the
were the othor apostle (~[ark calls meaning
Certainly
a reconthem "them
that bad been with two accounts."
ciliation
effected at such a sacrifice
him "), and that they had credited
But is it true thai
the story of the w.un.-n UR reg:ard~ is not desirable.
is necessary,
in
the emptiness
of tho tomb. but such a distortion

Hi. 1;),J

.l\1AHK.

871

order to remove the "l'pcllrance

of tion caused him to he indifferent
to
inconaisteney
between
Mark
and questiuns
of thi~ kind.
Lukc?
Let us sec.
Luke's
acI lere we might rest this question,
countof
the return ofthese
two men but lest it mav appear to Rome unto the city, and of their reception
uccountul.le
that the company
beby the eluveu, is this: "They rose Ii-wed that Jesus 11Ild arisen, on the
up the sa me hour, and returned
to I testimony
of Peter, and yet doubted
Jerusalem,
and found the eleven
the story of the others who claiu.ed
gllthcred
tOI!l'thcr, and them that to have seen him, we remark
that
"ere with them, saying, The Lord th is is in pcrt'cd harmony with the
is risen indeed, and hath appeared
othcr facts of the resurreetion
histo :-linlDn. A nd they
told what tory.
These
MaIlle persons
had
things were done in the way, and treated
as an idle talc the storv of
how' he WIUI known
to tne,u
in the women
who claimed
botf! to
breaking
of bread."
(Lu~e
xxiv. have seen JeHU", and to huve been
3:i-:i.'i.)
Here are two tlm.p:s as- unzels who declared
that he had
serted
concerning
tlus interview:
risen from the dead.
(Luke xxiv.
first, that on the arr-ival of the two J 0, 11.)
They w are now convinced
they were told hy the eleven and hy the additional
testimony
of
those who were with them, that the Peter,
that
Jesus
had
actually
Lord had arise n and nppeared
to I arisen;
but the story of the two
~imon;
~econd, that the two then
from Emmaus
had 8; me pecu liari/I:[1ve an account
of h is appearance
ties which were calculated
to throw
to them,
It is clearly implied that doubt 011 it until more mature
rethose who announced
that the Lord flection
on its merits
brou).!:ht its
had nr isen and had appeared
to strong
poill!.ll into view.
For inPeter, believed
it to be truo ; but stance, that .lesus had walked with
whether
they believed
the story them several m iles, conversing
all
that was then told by the two who the
time-e-conversing,
too, about
came
from
the' country,
Luke
himself; that he had gon!' with them
neither
affirms nor denies.
For into the house;
had takeu a seat
aught that he says to the contrary,
with them to dine; and sti ll they
though they believed Peter's story,
did not recoguize him till he wus in
and believed
that the Lord had the act of blessing and breaking
a
actually arisen, they may 1I0t have loaf, were circumstances
all calcubelieved the story told by these two; luted to throw doubt on the story
and thut they did not believe it is when it WlIS first told; and at that
the very thing affirmed by ~Iark.
timo the disciples
were disposod to
II J RayR, "They went and told it to be euspic ious of every new ~tory
the re-idue,
neither
believed
they they henrd in regard /A> the resurthem."
lie dues not "'y that thpy rcction.
But thouf!,h the circumdid not helieve .Iesus had arisen,
stances niu-t have cast doubt on the
but that they did not believe the story at flr-t, the more the entire
stuI'y of his having appeured in 1111- story was weighed in the scales of
other form tn the two as they went evidence,
the more credible
it upinto the country.
There is, then, no peared;
fIJI' it is quite certain, that
inconaisteucv
at all between the two: If the two men had undertaken
to
accounts,
ILI;d it is surpr isi ng that invent a pretended
appearance
of
80 acute
a critic as Alford "hould' -Iesus to them, such details IUl we
have thought
there is
lIe 8llrely: have named would have heen carewoull have detected
his error, had fully excluded
from the story, for
not an erroneous
theory of inspira-] fenr that on their account it would

872

MARK.

Afterward he appeared unto

the eleven as they sat at meat,
and upbraided them with their
unbelief and hardness of heart,
because they believed not them

[xvi. U-16.

which had seen him after he

was risen. II And he Raid unto
them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every
creature. II He that believeth

not be believed. Only when men later (Acts i. 3). From Mark',
are compelled by the pressure of a I narrative alone we would not be
truth which they are trying to hide, able to discover this tranaition, but
do they give testimony which, like I would suppose that the words of
the story of the e;uards (Matt. xxviii. Jesus in verses 15-18 were spoken
11-15), bears Its falsehood on its at the time of the nppearance menface.
tioned in verse 14: but this Is only
among many instances in which
t 0 th e, El even an done
.) eSlLs A ppears
d t '1
t' I to
d

th
0
..
14-18 I e III B not essen la
an un erCrIVeS
e
OmmtS3ton,
.
di
f h
hi f h
h to b
(Luke xxiv. 36-49' John xx. 19- stun mg 0 t e c. ie t oug t
e
23 )
,
conveyed, are omitted from one nar
.
rative but found in another.
14. as they l!Iat at meat.-The
Go ye.-Here
begins the ApOl
eircumstanoe that the disciples "sat tolic Commisaion, ILM
~iven hy.Jesus
at meat" when Jeaus appeared to on the day of his ascension
It
them, as recorded in this verse, had already been given, II<! recorded
seems to identify this appearance by Matthew, on the mountain in
with that recorded in Luke xxiv. Galilee (Matt. xxviii, 16-20), and
36-43, at which be called for food now it is repeated in 0. slightly difand ate it in order to convince them ferent form. It is properly called a
that he was not a spirit. And aa commission, because It committed
that appearance occurred on the to the apostles what they had not
evening of the first day of the week, before received, the authority to
this identifies it with that recorded preach the gospel, and to announce
in John xx, 19-23.
the conditions of salvation. Hitherto
because they believed
not.they had been forbidden even to tell
Mark has thus far mentioned only any man that Jesus was the Christ.
such testimon.r to the resurrection
(See Matt. xvi. 20; xvii. 9.) Now
a~ had been discredited by the dis- their lips are unsealed, with this
ciples, and it is true that to the ex- only limitation, that they are to
tent of this testimony "they be- tarry in Jerusalem until they are
lieved not them who had seen him "endued
with vower from on
after he was risen."
Yet, 1\.8 we high." (Luke XXIV. 47-49; Acts i.
learn frOID Luke, this discrediting 7,8.)
Then they are to "go into
of the testimonv was not universal, 1I11 the world, and preach the gospel
for they did believe the testimony to everycreuture.'
of Peter.
(Luke xxiv. 33, 34, and
16. He tha.t believeth.-Thal
comP: the note above 011 verse 13.) is, he that believeth the gospel
15. And he said unto them.(verse 15). It was to be preached
Here there is 0. silent transition in order that it might be believed,
from the interview on the evening and belief, both on this account. and
after the day of the resurrection,
because it is, from the nature of the
which is the subject of verse 14, to case, a prerequisite rc rppnntance
one which occurred on the day of and obedience. is t.blt 6.r~1 .ct of
the II.Icens;on (verse 19), forty day. compliance with ita dem .nda

zvi, 16.]

MARK.

and i. baptized shall be saved;

373

but he that believeth not shall be

and is baptized.-The
colloca- supposed to include in addition to
tion of the words, and the fact that this. It really includes no more
baptism is an act of ohedience, than this, and is equivalent to the
which it could not be without faith, promise of pardon to all who beshow that baptism is to be preceded lieve and are baptized.
If any
by faith. This commission both Ulan's mind revolts at the idea of
authorizes the apostles to baptize placing baptism in such a conbelievers, and restricts them to be- nection with salvation or the for"icvors as the subjects of baptism. gi\"euess of sins, let him remember
No comment can make this clearer that it is .Iesus who has placed it in
than it is made by the words of the this connection, and that when our
commission itself
It is impossible, minds revolt at IIny of his words or
therefore, that the apostles could collocation of words, it is not his
have found authority In their com- fault but ours. It is always the
mission for baptizing infants, and it result of some misconception or.
is equally impossible for modern our part. If one should be tempted
Pedobuptists to find it. (Comp, to sa" True, he that believes and i.
the notes on Matt. xxviii. 19.)
baptized shall be saved, but he that
shall be saved.e-T be saved is believes and is .not baptized shall
to be made safe. It implies that also be saved, let him ask himself
the person saved was in danger, or why Jesus, in this formal comm isin actual distress, and that the dan- sion, says, "He that believeth and
ger or the distress is removed. is baptized shall be saved," if the
When the term refers to the eternal same is true of him who is 1I0t hapstate it includes the resurrection
tized.
Men do not, on solemn 00from the dead, and perpetual safety caaions, trifle with words in this
frutu sin and suffering. But death way. If the Executive of a State
and all sufi'l'ring are but the con- should sav to the convicted thieves
sequences of sin, and therefore to in the peni~entiary, Be that will
be made safe from sin exhausts the make a wr-itten pledge to he an
idea of the salvation provided in the honest man, and will restore four~o"pel. When the term saved is fold what he has stolen, shall he
used in reference to the state of the pardoned, there is not a man in any
Christian in this world, as it Ire- penitentiary who would expect parquently is (Acts ii. 47; 1 Cor. i. l S: don without the restitution
rexv. 2; El'h. ii. 5; 'fit. iii. ,5), it I quired; and if it were ascertained
means that he is made safe from his that the Executive meant by these
past sins, which ;8 effected by words to promise pardon to all who
pardor., and can be effected in no would make the pledge, whether
other way. If it be said that when they would, being able, make the
a man is 'mce saved he is saved for- restitution or not, he would be
ever, because he can not fall away, justly charueable with trifling, (onnd
still it must be granted that the snl- i also with "ffering different cond ivation affirmed of him includes the tions of pardon to the same cluss
present forgiveness of his past sins. i of criminals.
So in the present
Consequently,
in the statement" cuse. If he that is not baptized,
" He that be1icnth and is baptized I b('in~ capable of the act, ip a~ cershall be saved," the salvation prom- I tainlv saved as he t hut is haptized,
ised must include at least the for- i the Sa\'iur spoke idlo words ill the
givenesa of sins, whatever it may be i commission, and he offers two I'lalUl

374

MARK.

[xvi. 16.

of pardon to the ~ lin e chqs of sin- be forfcited by RIIbsequent apoAta.ey

ner s showing parti.vlity by offe r mg It has frequently
been observed.
to release one on e i-uer terms
than
that though
-Iesua
8a)8,
He that
another
~uGh I" the absurdity
In believeth
un.l 1M buptrzed
"h til b~
w luci; we ur e 1Il1Ht.LLly involved
saved " he does not III Ilt.ltltlg: th,
If w e allow lit t the w 01 u. III q ue8-1 ground
of condemn uiou mention
trou their plOl'"r and n.rtur.il foi ce the I u lui e to be I. Il'tll' J aq part
'Vhen
tIll' J.POqt!l'S went
out to of It hut HllIIph ~ Iy~
11(' that bepi e.ich under tln- commi-sron,
they rlle\eth
not -h til be condemncd
,.
knew only from It~ terms to whom
From till. It I, 1L~.l1l1mferr ed that
they <hould prOUllQe p-irdon,
and It ipnsm I" not OIl(' of the coudrtions
couseque ntly th"j never eru.oura.rcd
of p irdun
But the conclusron
does
au v l'el8un to hupe for It pn vItJU~ illot follow, fOI the fact th.u baptism
to b ipusm nor C;,l\C -in v u nb.iptived
H, not
inenu.nu
d ltl statlllg
who
pertlon reason to tlunk that hi" sms I shall he cou.lem ned can never rewore alre uly forinven
If lny (II rllJ(\\e It hom the place It oc. uple,
the Ull h.ipnzcd
tlu i c lor e III(' I'"
111 bt,lt! n..!; \\ ho ~h dl ho B wed
In
doued It I~ IH'G,llhe (Jod h h i!1,lnt- the ,uppo<pcl C bP of the COI1\rcts
I'd to thrill more th.m It" h r-, IJlOlll above meunoncd
If after saylll~ to
ised
'1'111'" he m.iv ulI'lIlP'tWII tidy I ,til the convicted thieves
, He that
do, If the Ginn u-t.i m ('~ of md iv id- I w III make a wi ittcn pled.ro to he an
u.i! .. sh til make It rL~ht III h rs Pj(,!lllltJr\('~t
III U1 and \\111 re.stcre fourto do so but of the-e CII Cllrll"t,lnc('~ I f"lt! \\ h lt he has stole 11 shall be
He alune C In Judgl' \\ ho kuow all I' irdnnr d the Governor h.ul udded,
thllli!8 .urd w 110'0 Jncl~lIleut8
are
hut he th It will IIlit make this
gUld( d by i n tnute WI.,d,,1Il
pledue ,h.tIl serve out Ius tune m
he that beheveth not shall be !,II"m"
none but II cra,y
th ief
damned - l'he term
"d.un n ed
could th mk that be(,llu"e I esntution
has no more reference
to the r tc rn.vl IS not mentioned
in the l itter instate th III the ter m s.ived
III the st.mce he would be pardoned
With
precedmg
clause
They both hive
out mnkmz
rcstituuon
Equally
pi unary
reference
to the present
unre.isouaule
I~ the conclusinn
In
state
and the former I~ the e\.,lCt question
The le,ldlng thou,!;ht In
couutcrp.u t of the
l utor
'1 he the comnnssion
IS to state
the
or i.n nnl term means
"condemned,"
~l'ollTId on which
men would be
and this should be It~ rendci Inp: 8.1\ pel nnd not that on \\ hich they
Condeuinunnn
ah e idy re,ton would
be damned
The '1postleb
tho-e who bl'lip\c
not (.lohn
III were to be concerned
with savmj,
]\1), but the apo-tles
,11P h .i e told men not with d-un nmg them
con
th.lt It .h tll eSl'cc]'{lly rL,t on tho'e
seqnentlv
.Jc.u. tells them In detdzl
who hea r the ,.(ospel md hchev e It on what ground they are prvlIllsed
nut
I t rp,t~ on them now and It 8'11\ rt ion , but ,l~ d.imnntion
IS Ius
must
of COUI~P rest on thorn for- own WOlk not theirs
h e ~p('iks of
ever uIII,'"<, lit some oU}"''''I'IC'nt that
comprehr nsrvelv
by naming
period of IIf" they ,h til become be the one ,III of IInhelll'f \\ hu.h re nben'r~
In tlu- W1y the st ite of der s all acceptable ohcdienco Imposcondemnunon
which
non
e xr-ts SIble and rs the LhIef Gru-e of all
will i each fOIw.u d IIIto eterrutv
condemn rtion
A m III should come
unless It~ cause be removed
In III{e to the comrmssion
then not to learn
manner
a. the ~t,lte of 8 ilv atron I how he mav be dam ned but how
enjoyed
by the b rptized
belrev er I he may be snved, and this It teaches
Will reach into etermty,
unless
It hun right plainly

svi, 17-20.]

.MARK.

damned.
IT And these signs shall
follow them that believe j III my
urune shnll they cast out devils j
th.-y shall
speak
with new
touzuc- ; 18 they shall take up
serpents j and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt
them j they shall lay hands on
the sick, and they -hull recover.

375

I~ SO then
after the Lord had
spoken unto them, he W!Ul received up into heaven, and sat
011 the
right
hand
of' God.
20 And
they
went
forth,
and
preached every-where,
the Lord
working
with them,
and confirm ing the word with signs following.
Amen.]

The assertion,
.. He that believeth
them, and then we will believe.
nut shall be condemned,"
implies
Paul's expectation
was that prophtlmt. all who hear c:~n be!ipyc-tl!at
esyin;;,
spcnking
in tongues, and
no muate or acqUIre,! incredulity
I miraculous
knowledge,
would vall~~I~ ju,tify
u~lb('lil'f of. the gospc!'1 ish aw.~y (1. Cur, ;v. 8); and so
j lw, " u-sertuur
the !ll~'hpst IJ(J"I- they dJU WIth the death
of the
hle elu im in hohulf of the evidences
ap,;stles and of those to whom they
of Clu-istinn ity. and he who makes
hac! imparted iuiruculous
gifts.
the vlnim is II,) who will jlldi!:e the
WOI1<Iat the lust day.
If. ill the
The Ascen.~i{)lI, 19,20. (Luke xxiv
fae . of this de eIuration,
nny man
50-53; Acts i. 9-12,)
'rill venture to the judgment
in un19, after the Lord had spoken.
belief alleging
that the evidence is
that II after the
not suflic ient flor him, he must set- -TIte statement
Lord had spoken to them he was
tle the ixsue with Jesus himself.
17, 18, these signs shall f01- received up into heaven, and sat on
lOW,-The
promise
is. nut that tho ri)!ht hand of God," establishes
these
signs shall follow for any a dose connection in time between
the close of the spl'pch and the asspecified time, lim' that they should
The same confollow each ind ividunl believer;
but cem,ion of Jesus,
~Icrely that thov liha.1I follow, and nection is iud icuted by Luke hoth
follow"
the believers"
taken as a in his gospel and in Acts, where,
nlthough
he quotes
none of the
budy. Thev did [u1l01V the believers
words reported by Mark, he reports
jurlng theapostolic
age-not
e,cry
a C(Jnversatiollquite sirnilinr to it
individual beliolcr. but all, or nearly
on the sa,olllc occaall. the organized
bodies of the he which occurred
lievers
This was a cumplete
ful- sion and was iuuued iatelv followed
(See Luke xxiv.
fillment of what was prumised.
lIe hy the ascension.
wh claims
that the promise
in- 4~1-,'i1; Act, i. 4-9.)
20. And they went forth,-In
"l ..led more than this. presses the
Ma.rk overleaps
the
words of the promise beyond whut this sentence
in Jerusalem,
is necessary
to a full realization
of stay of the apostles
their meanin;:;;
and he who nflirrns and reaches forward to the period
greatest
activity,
when
that the signs do vet follow the he- of their
"thl'Y
went
forth
an-I preached
liove rs. should rresent
Rome ocular
the Lord
working
demonstration,
.f the fact before he every-where,
th orn , and
confirming
the
asks the people to believe his asser- with
Thua
tion.
Signs were intended
to con' word with signs following."
to a most appropriate
vince the unbol ievers, and they were he brings
his narrative
of those
always wrought openly iu the pres- termination
that
had gradually
pr&
.nee of the unbehevers:
let us see eveuts

376

MARK.

-------------------------------------------------------

It has sometimes
been admitted,
that to prove so extraordinary
an
event as the resurrection
of one
from the dead, would require
most
extraordinary
evidence;
and certainly it would in the ease of any
&
ordinary
person; but in the case of
Jesua, who had wrought
so many
AnOUMKNT OF SECTION 6,
miracles
in proof of his divinity,
This
closing
section
of Mark,
who had repeatedly
declared that
like the corresponding
section in he would arrse from the dead, and
~latthew,
contains
two proofs
of who had died amid the most astoundthe divinity
of Jesus.
The first is ing manifestations
of the divine displeasure
toward his murderers,
his
found in the darkness
thut covered
was an event most reathe earth during three hours of his resurrection
suffering,
It is common, when we sonably to b~ expected, and it ought
would make a comparison
to indi-, to be believed on the most ordiuury
cate the impossibility
of IIIl undertestimony,
Indeed,
lifter havillg
taking, to say that you Illny as well lived us he did, lind having died as
attempt
to blot the sun from the he did, hi! failure to arise from the
heuve ns.
But this, Uod did, in dead would hale been the most ascircumstance
in his WOIleffect, when the noonday
sun was tonishing
shining
on the dying ugonie>! of derful
career.
Such II life end ing
Jesus,
It was accomjlished by no in the unbroken
slumber
of the
natural
eclipse, for the moon was ~rave, would have been an everlast01' tho opposite
side of the globe Illg puzzle to the world.
But such
(the moon was always full at the a life, followed by a glorious resurPassover);
but it was done by the rection from the dead, attains a fitsimple fillt of Jehovah.
No stroke
ting cousummution,
and rounds out
the most extraorof his almighty hand since the sun to completeness
'Tole created
has been more wonderdinary
personal
history
known in
CI!' It finds its only conceivable
the annuls
of earth
or heaven.
explanation
in the fact that Jesus
The proofs of this event, furnished
was dying.
Was Jesus,
then, lin by }fark, are briefly these-e-that an
imrostor?
Or waa .ie, what
he angel appeared
to a company
of
claimed
to be, the Son of God '/ women III the empty sepulcher,
and
Let a man stand, by imagination,
told them that .J esus had arisen;
for three
hours amid that awful that he himself appeared alive that
morning
to ~r:try ),{a;!;dllJene; that
gloom, as did the Ruman centurion,
and then answer the question.
he nppoured
the slime day to two
But the crowning
proof in the male disciples
a.R they walked into
grand series which Mark has pre- the coulltry;
that he uppcnred after
sented, is the resurrection of J esus ward to the eleven as they sat ut
from the dead.
Xo power
but meat; lind that, having given them
G.)d's could have raised hlln from the II comllli8sion
to preach salvar ion
him to every creature,
),0
deud, lind this power could not have through
been exerted
in behulf
of II pre- ascended
up to heaven, and su h-etender.
That he was raised from the quentl,
worked with the disciples
dead, then, is proof demonstrative
by "~lgns following,"
as they went
that he was all that he cluimed to e'l""ry-where
preaching
the gospeL
be-the
Cbr iii, til e 80n of the living
Clnsing his testimony
in the mid
G.)d.
of a world which at the time of hill

pared the apostles

for the mission
of mercy on which they were sent
forth, lind which, when recited
in
their preaching,
led men to believe
in .lesus, and to accept the offered
salv tion.

MARK.

877

wntlng WM being filled with these U8; and a8 we PMI it on to genera,ut

mentioned
8i~ns, and which
tions which shall come after U8, we
.vaa still able to disprove by living smile to think of the blessin""
it
witnesses
all that he had written, will hear to millions
yet unborn,
if it were not true, he laid his pen and of the undimmed
radiance
aside, and sent forth his graphic
with which
evorv sentence
in it
narrative
to challenge contradiction,
will sh ine when the sun shall have
and to do its part III the regcnerabeen blotted
out forever,
and the
tion of mankind.
'Ve thank God harvest of God shall all be gathered
that it has lived and come down to in.

GE~mNENE.'!A OF ;\~ARK

A difference of opinion has long

existed among tho critics as to the
get1uiuenesB of the last twelve verses
of Mark. The recent popularization
of the results of Biblical Criticism,
hy the publication
of such works as
tlu- Tauchnitz
edition of the English
Testament
and Bllg~ter's
Critical
En)!li8h Testament.'
I\~ well
ns by
the increased
circulation
of critical
eounueutnr ies, hus brought this and
sirnilur questions
before the masses
of the people, and created a demand
for their treatment in a style adapted to the comprehension
of comparntively
uneducated
readers.
'We
propos!), therefore, to state with as
much brevity and simplicity
as we
can, the facts which must have the
controlling
intluenee
in deciding
this question,
l et it be first observed, that it is
not the authenticity
of the pasBn~e,
hv which is meant the hietor ical
eorrectness
of its representations,
that is called in question,
but only
it.e genuineness
as a part of Mark's

3:;

XVI. 9-20.

origine;
manuscript.
A few remarks on its authenticity,
however,
will not at this point
he out of
place.
All the historical
stateruents
of
the passa!!:e are known! to be true,
independently
of their occurrence
here, because they are found in the
other gospels or in Acts.
Thus thl'
statements
eoncern ing the fippearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene,
which occupy verses 9-11, are substantially
verified
by John
find
Luke.
(See John xx, 1-18; Luke
viii. 2, find compo the notes on
l:lark xvi. 9-Jl, above.)
The statement
concerning his appearance
to two disciples
as they"
ent into
the countr,Y, is but a l.r-iaf account
of what IS more fully described
in Luke xxiv. 1:>-35, and yet it ill
80 varied
in expresaion
I\S to show
that it is not fill nbbrev iution from
Luke.
(See the note on Hi. 12, 13.)
All the items of the nppearance
ot
Jesus
to the eleven, described
in
verse 14, are substantiated
by the

MARK.
---------------- ------_._-----

378

statements
in Luke xxiv, 36-43,
and J ohn xx l\)-~,l; ami those pertllillin)( to tho comm isaion and the
I\~l'ell"ion (15. \Ii, l'.l, 20), arc confirmed hy Luke's
account
of the
latter (xxiv. :)(;-51), and by ~u.tthew's report of the former (xxviii.
l'.l, 2U); while the promise concernin~ the .il-(ns that w ere to follow the
believers
is substantiully
included
in Matt. s rviii. 20. and .Iohn xiv,
12, und is fully verified
by the
events recorded III Act.
~()t only are the statements
of
the paRslli!:e thus
proved
to be
authentic,
but the manner in which
the details
are bandied,
and the
f,)rm~ of ex pressjnn emplnyed, show
unmistakable
marks of an original
wri tel'.
II is sources
of iu for-umtiou were independent
of the nurrutives of Matthew,
Mark, Luke and
John,
and yet they were correct.
He must, then, huve lived and written previous to the gene.1'Il1 circulation
of the other
i;""pels,
and
. within
the apostolic
age.
This is
conceded
even by Alford,
who is
one of the most confident writers in
opposition
to the genuineness
of the
passage.
lIe says: ., The inference
therefore
seems to me to be, that
it is an authentic fra.iment. placed
as a completion (( the Gospel in
very early times: by whom written,
mnst of course remain
wholly uncertain;
but corning to us with very
weighty sanction, and havirur strong
cluims on our reception
and reverence."
(Com. Mark xvi. :W.)
The authonticity
of the paBsa~e
oeing conceded, and the fact being
apparent
that it was written
by
some one possessed of independent
and correct sources of information,
the question
of its g,'nuineness
might be waived without detracting
from its authority
or credibility;
for 1\ true piece ot history attached
to Mark's book is not less valuable
or uuthoritative
becnuse some other
person than Mark may have been

the author of it: but we proceed,

for the Bake of a thorough
understandi ng of the facts in the case, to
\ examine the evidencesl'To
and con,
I and first, those which are called
external
evidences
First, the manuscripts.
The P!l8sl\~e is omitted
from a few of the
rnunuscr-ipts,
and amonz these are
tho Vatican
and the Sinaitio,
the
two old est and best manuscripts
extaut.
These two manuscripts
carry
with them a very ~reat weight of
authority;
and, indeed,
it is the
comparatively
recent discovery
of
the Hinaitic
manuscript
that has
turned
the scales a~ainst
the pMsage,
in the judgment
of some
scholars.
Jerome, und some writers
of the fourth ce ntury, are alao quoted
a~ a1firmillg that the pn"Hage was
wanting in most of the Greek copies
uf their day.
On the other hand, the paH.age 18
found in nearly
all of the other
ancient
manuscripts,
including
the
Alexandrian,
which stands n--xt to
the Vatican
in accuracy.
It was
also cited by I renreus and Tutinn of
the second century, and bv Hyppolytus and Dyonisius
of Alexandria.,
of the third century,
all of whom
lived before
the earliest
existing
manuscript
was written,
und from
one hundred
to two hundred years
earlier than Jerome.
The words of
Irenreus
show that it was not only
a part of the book of ~lark in his
day, but that Murk was regarded
as
its author
He says: "But Mark,
in the end of his i!:ospel, says: And
the Lord Jesus, nfter that he had
spoken
to them, was received
lip
into heaven,
and sat at the ri~ht
hand of God."
From these writers,
then, it appears
that the passa~e
was a part of some copies of ~Iark 8
~o~pel at least as -nrly as the second
century.
The
preponderance
of
evidence from this source is in favor
of the paRSage.
Second, the ancient versions,
Th.

MARK.

evidence
(rom this source
is alto- that the last leaf of the originul goe~ether in favor of the P'tssage,
for pel was torn R\\I'y"
This remark is
all the anerent
versrons contuin It, intended
by h nn to account for the
and th~rehy testify thut it was III iru-omple tenr--s which Wl!),!:l"tcd the
the Greek copies from \\ luch they addition of tho PUH"I"e in 'l1!P.tlon,
were translated
If, at thiS tune, but WI' th m k it strll more -utisfacthe Orpek copies did not I(cllerally
torrlv IH'101!nts for thp ubs-nce
of
contain
it, it is at loust a vvrv re- this 1',18,.1!!0 from those manuscnpts
mar kable circumstance
that all the w h ich huv e it not
for Olle 1Il.l11Uver'IOIIR were made from thoB!, that script with tlu- 1.I,t lonf toi n u\\ay,
did
Amon!! th ese versions arc the or worn n\\a)
1lI1ght be u-cd as H
Peslnto ~) 11.1l", thl' Old I t.rlic the copy, and IIllght thus Loc(JlUP the
Sulndre and the Coptic, all 01 which
pruhfic mother ot an nnme nse brood
were in e',!,tl'ncl'
e.rrlicr th.m the of m.muscrrpts
laeklll~ the pOI tio n
HIIHtltic .md V.ltic.lll m.mu-cripts,
lo-t
u nd I.l'forl' the t n-ro of Jr.romc
I As re~ar,ls the external p\ iderice,
Tlurd
criu II conjecture
The then, we are convtrauir-d
to .tdopt
rel.iuve
pr( IJIIIJllIty of the l,a~,u~t' thr- cOIlI'III'JOII of 1)1' I ).l' "lfooOIl,\\ ho
h"v,n!.( heen wrrttcn
hy :-. .i rk ur \ ery mod",tly foo.,), '011 the \\ hoII',
added hy II 1.ltl'r hand, I. no vt to he tho o x+cruul ari.unu-nts
III Iavor of
oonvidered
TIJO'c who adopt the thr- pn".I!.(p uutw e ii.h those on the
latter hYI'()the"ll" think th.it the ad- other BIde"
(D.\\Jd"JIJ's
l ntroduc
druon "'IS IU.HI" on account of the tion)
\\ tnt of complct-ne-s
uppurent
III
\\'e hel iove tli.it III tln- cumin
CIO'llI!!
tile narrative
"It II the sion .rll of tho l'Tltle"! c ouc ur lind
ulghth vo rse of tlns chapter
Any that thc gruuud ul doul.r w h n b overro.idcr w rll be struck with tills" ant I ules It III the uu nds of SOllie, IS III
of l'Ollll'iPtencsB,
If he w i
read
bv w ords
from thl' first to the eiuhth verse, and phr.ises
found III the -J."I""I(P
and im urme th.rt the narrative there
w h reh .u e foreijm, it i~ cl.umed
l<J
c108e~
But while this con-id ora- Mark's style, and"
hich therefore
tlon would account for the addition
show tho hand of another
writer
of the l'.l~~ ll(e, It leave-, un.iccountI )('.tl1 Alford
.ifter mention injr cacn
ed for th~ flct that Mark cut short
of the-e "Old, aud phr.ht'~ H;, they
his narrutive
so ahruptl ,
The occur 111 the text 'Ulll~ up the evivarious conjectures
udv anced to ac- donee from thi sou ret' ns follows
eouut for tlll~ fact, such [LA the sud- "lntl'l nul ev idenco I', I th 111 k, very
den deuth ot Mai k, or the sudden
weiuhty
ag.llnot 11al k'o belll~ the
death of Pet .1', Mark s instructor,
author
:-<0 le-s than -eventeeu
are .c) unsatu-factory
that they B('Ive words and phrases ocr-ur in It (tWO'
only to show the str.ut 111 which
some of thrill several tmu-s ) w luch
the writer . find tl.emselve
who are never elsewhere
used b, Murk
adopt
this
h_'I'0thesis
On the -whooe
ndhvrcuce
to h,', 0\\ u
other hund
If we sU(lpo,e that the PIcult.lr
~)hr'1"'~ 18 rem.u k.ible "
w as
by Mar
its
IS the
of
aLs(,III'e from some copieis at ot lu-r e nune nt CrItiCS, Loth ~:t1glIsh
once nr-count d for hv couviderirur
and (Icrm.ui
the ma n v II ('tdt'nt" Lv which the I
A '1tlt"tl"l1 of tbis kind is not to
IJl8t leal of It m Inll.c;ipt
m,lY be be d"cl.!\d by ba luncm.r tlte \\ell!J.t
lost,
Alfoul h im-u-lf recogrn zcs the I of the I!IC.lt names v.11Il1t h av e been
force of thlR consideratu.n,
and says, arrayed
in the drscussiou
of It, bur
., The mo.t probable suppoaition
I~, ,by
a careful and patient
examius
ll

pussuge

written

ternal

k,

Such

evidence

al-,o

nu

judument

uished

-ev

erul

380

MARK.

tlOn of the alleged peculiarities

of
style
In order
to determine
the
actual force of the evidence which
they contain
'1'0 Prot
John
A
Broadus
uf Greenville,
South earnhna, belongs
the credit
of havIng first a{lplled to thrs argument
the to-t which It demands
He did
so III an article
pu blished
m the
B'lptl~t Quarterly
for Ib69, winch
18 romai kable alike for Its conclu81venCSB for the modesty With much
Its argument
18 set forth
and for
the pamstukmg
research
which It
exhibits
lIe names,
as an offset
to Alford 8 seventeen
words and
phrases
in the last twelve verses
not el~ewhere
used by Mark, pre"I~dy
the i>Qme 71ltmb~r
ID the
twelve verses next precedmq these
These are '!',Ovll'" xv 44, 'Y.ovS"n:o,
j~WP1'<1a.'!'o
n:'!''''fAa. * xv 45, 1.""'11<1.,
),..M'!'OfA1ifA'vov,
n:,'!'pa.s n:P0<1.",,"',<1.,
xv 4b l,'''"'Y'VOfAEVIJI), a.PWfA""'!'a., XVI I,
~, fA,as <1a,33u'!'wv,
XVI 2, 0.1'10",,4<1",
X\ I l a.va.""""~'<1'!'a."
~",o~pa, XVI 4,
IV '!'O'S ~';LO'S, XVI 5, .lx' In a pecul
rar senve '!'pOfAOSXVI 8
The Pro
fe~~l)r u-ed the Greek text of Tregelles
Such a coincidence,
occurring
In
the rmruedrate
context
IS lit once a
surprrsing
fact and a Rtarthng
exp ,~ur of the fragile foundation
on
whu.h this famous critrcal structure
has been
erected
It shows that
the same use of the Greek
Concordance which led to the OrIglll of
thi crrtrcism
If pushed
a httle
f.rther would have smothered It 10
Its birth
and would
hnv e saved
some
dtstmjru rsh ed crrtics
from
hemg detected
In a flimsy though
pretentrous
f'illacy
Applying
to another
pas-age the
method adopted by Prof Brundus,
I have myself exarn med the last
welve verses of Luke s narrutive

and found there lUlU words which

are not elsewhere
used In his Darratrve, and among
them are four
which are not elsewhere
found In
the New Testament
yet none of
our critics
have thought
It woi th
while to mennon
thiS fact, If they
have noticed It, much h'88 have they
raised a doubt in regard to the gpn
umeness
of thl8 passage
Doubtless many other examples
of the
kmd could be found m the Ne w
Testament,
but these
are amply
sufficrent to show that the argument
whrch we are consrdermg
18 but II.
shallow sophism
But the argument
appears
if P08Sible, still more fallacious
when we
come to consider
It In connection
WIth the words and phrasea ID question taken separately
We make a
few specificarions,
taken from among
those on wluch Alford and others
most confidently
rely for the HUPport of their crrticism
1 We
select
first
the
word
poreuomat
(n:op,,,ofAa.,) 10 go
AIford savs, ' 'I'his word, never used
by ~Iark
IS thre tunes contained
In this p'l~~age, verses 10 12, 15 '
True tlus word In Its Simple form
IS not elsew here used by Mark but
he uses It III coinposition
WIth a
preposrnon
not less than nineteen
I time,
lIe
uses
et~ p()rellOmal
(1t<1n:op,vofAa,), to go 111 eIght times,
and el; pOI ellOliWI (,,,n:oP'VOfA""'), to
qo ou t eleven
tunes
The ai gument really st'\mis thus
Because
m a book whu.h el,1;ht times uses
the expressIOn
go III and eleven
times
the expres-uon
go out,"
there
18 a pJ.B~age which
three
tunes employs
the SImple
word
go ' It IB inferred that the latter
PJ._s tge must howe been written In
a different
author
Ludicrous
IS
this argument
appears
It would
have Borne degreo of pl-vusrl rhty If
Iu l'I.'!erenrr 10 thI, w or t the Profcseor the placeIII wluch
gIl
IS em
Ia .h~Iltly mrvtakcn
It occurs "1:1l111 tn ployed were such as properly
r'>~ rk VI 29\ though
<Twl,4
t. the wurd
t "
Hut
,,.ualh emp o)NI by 'lark for" body"
I qUIre
go III
or
go ou
III

MARK.
..coa till' thl' '!lISe. The places
..re &8 roiJows:
She (Mary) went
and 'IOlc1 tnenl," verse 10. She
neither went in nor went out, but
she simply went to where Peter
and John were abiding.
"He appeared in another form to two of
them lUI they walked and went into
the country"
(verse 12). Here
the direction into is expressed by
the preposition which follows the
verb, and it is not 8uflicientl,Y emphatic to justify compounding it
also with the verb. "Go into all
the world, and preach" (verse 15).
The same remark is true of this as
of the preceding
instance, and
furthermore
it is clear thai the
speaker did not intend to emphasize the direction of the going,
a_ though the disciplee needed II cautiun lest they should go out of all
the world instead of going into it.
There is a reason, then, for the use
of the uncompounded word in these
pluces. just as there was in the
other nineteen
places for using the
compounded word ; and instead of
provinll: that Mark is not the author
of this pa8"age, the use of the word
in question is only a proof that
Mark was careful to employ words
with precision.
Again, as Prof. Broadus cleurly
shows, it is not unusual for Mark
to employ occasionally in its simple
form a word which he usually compounds
with 1\ preposition.
He
uses the compound term eperotao
(f,upo .a",), to ask,
twenty-four
times according to the corrected
text, and the uncompounded erotao
(ipo.a...) three times (iv. 10; vii.
26; viii. 5).
He also UBe8 the
compound term apotkneesko
( 11:08~~ax",), to die, eight times, and the
uncompounded
thneesko (8.'1~""')
only once. These examples take
away the last vestige of argument
drawn from the use of the word
in question.
2. We next notice the phrase

381

meta tauta (,u.,," .;;"), after

these thin{l! (verse 12). Alford
saye of this expression, "I t is not
found in Mal k, though many opportunities occurred for using it."
The argument, fairly stated, is this:
In all similar connections, Mark
employs other
terms, such lUI
eutheoos (uI8,,,,,), straightway, or
palin
(rca).w), again i but here,
where the critic think8 his style required the use of the latter term,
we find the plrase
meta tauta
(,u,,,a,
after these thil1gs;
from which It i8 inferred that Mark
is not the author of this passage.
It is surprising that this argument
is employed, for it requires only a
cursory glance at the connection to
see that the term palin, ag,Lin,
would not have served the purpose
of the writer in this place. The
statement is, literally translated,
" After these things he appeared in
another form to two of them lUI
they walked and went into the
country."
It would not have been
proper to say that he appeared to
them again, for he had not appeared
to them previously: but this appearance took place after the events
just previously mentioned by Murk,
and he most properly chose the
phrase "after these things" to indicate this fact.
As regards the
"many opportunities"
which occurred in Mark's narrative for a
previous use of this phrase, we are
prepared to affirm that in no one
of the places where palin occurs,
would metn tau ia have served the
purpose of context 80 well. This
the English render can sec for himself, if he will examine the occurrences of "al'ain"
in Mark's narrative, and suppose the phrase
"after these things"
to be substituted for it. Moreover, in this
instance, as in others already mentioned, a striking coincidence discovered by Prof. Broadus serves
most Ilft'ectually the purpose of re-

",w"),

882
We regard further speciflcations
as unnece~sary.
None of the Beventoen words and phrases
mentioned
by Alford
and the
critics
who
agree
with
him,
furnishes
any
Letter ground for objection
to th.e
pll~sage than these three; and" AIthough,"
to use the language
of th .
scholar to whom I am BO much indebtcd in preparing
this note, "the
multiplication
of littles rnav umount
to much, not so the mu ltiplicatio
of nothings."
Our final conclusion
is, that the
pa.snge in question
is authentic
lD
all itw detuils, and that there i~ no
reason to doubt that it was written
by the same huud which indited the
I procedin!! parts of this narrative,
The objections
which
have been
rai-cd llgainst it arc Letter calculuted to shake
our confidence
in
Biblical Criticism
than in the gcnuineness of this inestimable
portion
of the word of (jod.
[After the above note was complctcd and sent to the printers,
I
W.IR
kindly
furnishvd
hy Prof
Broadus with a copy of u honk of
over 3UU pa;.:es devot .d exclu-uvely
to tho quvsnnn
d iscusscd
above,
and written
by .lohn \V. Burgon,
V D., Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford.
Wh~le the writer appenrs to
me extravagant
in many uf his expressiona,
and often extreme in hia
conclusiona,
I recommend
the work
to the careful study of th(l~e who
are interested
in this que-tion.
It
Prof. Broadus says. tw lee, but he must I was nublishad
at Oxford
gn"
io
aave counted oue of the th rea eoutaiued
1 ~) l:]
,
.., ,
., quotatlons,
' is j

futation,
Luke,
in the book of
Act.
n book nenrly twice as largo
'18 ~I"rk,
makos the same UBe of
eu t hroos and pa/ill that !.lark does,
y('t OIlC!', and only once, * he employ
m, /0 t.tutu,
the "cry phraso now in
'J" .,rioli {xvi ii l ), True, the phrase
occurs fOUl" t im cs in .\cts, but in
the other three in-tunces
it occurs
in quotations,
one from Stephen
(vii. 7), one from Paul (xi ii, 20),
anti one from .l.unes (xv. J 6).
:~ Finally,
we notice the term
~ Kvp,,,~, "ti,e L(I)'d" (verses 19, 2tl).
A If"r<l says
that
this
term
is
" r;J) ell/" to the diction of Marlc in
"1Ieaki;ll1; of the Lord; ,,' and it is
tru that it is not found elsewhere
in .'Iark except in quotations.
But,
'1.' Prof Broadus remarks,
"It is
!,,p,i.ely after the resurrection
of
('hri,t that it would be 1lI0,t naturul
t o apply
to him this hi;.:h name,
the /,"/",1."
.lohn uses tho terru in
thi sense only three times hoforo
th r"""rrecti~m,
hut it is found
JIll/I'
time-s in his lips and those of
hi, fellow disciples
in his br ief nocou n t of the scenes thnt followed
thi'
resurr-ection.
If, then,
the
R\",stle
John
thus
changes
his
p iruseolozy
to suit the changed
and more exalted
condition
of his
~hster,
why should it Le thought
strange
that Mark docs the same;
and why. in this most natural
and
reasonable
change,
pretend
to discover the hand of a new writer?